PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Stock Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average – Here’s Why

Shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) passed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $133.59 and traded as high as $134.96. PepsiCo shares last traded at $133.79, with a volume of 6,143,240 shares trading hands.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results exceeded expectations. Third-quarter revenue rose 5.6% year over year to $25.27 billion, topping consensus, while core earnings per share of $2.34 also beat estimates. Organic revenue growth accelerated to 3.1%. Why PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Operating trends showed improvement. PepsiCo reported organic volume growth across global beverages and convenient foods, broad strength in international markets, and sequential improvement in North American foods. Its updated outlook calls for approximately 6% net revenue growth and about 3% organic revenue growth in 2026. Why PepsiCo (PEP) Stock Is Up Today
• Positive Sentiment: Income appeal remains a supporting factor. Analysts and investment commentary continue to highlight PepsiCo’s dividend, which offers a yield above 4%, as well as the defensive nature of its combined beverage-and-snacks portfolio. Why Is PepsiCo Stock Falling, and Is It a Buying Opportunity?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and positioning could attract buyers. PEP trades well below its 52-week high, and the median analyst price target cited is $168 versus a recent share price near $137. However, institutional ownership data showed both significant additions and reductions, indicating mixed conviction.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit guidance was reduced. PepsiCo cut its 2026 core constant-currency EPS growth forecast to 1%–2%, down from the low end of its prior 4%–6% range. The downgrade reflects continuing pressure on margins and profitability despite firmer revenue expectations. PepsiCo stock outlook cut as North American reset deepens
• Negative Sentiment: North America remains the key risk. PepsiCo has cut prices by as much as 15% to win back price-sensitive consumers, raising questions about pricing power and future margins. The stock also remains below its 200-day moving average, reflecting investors’ caution about the recovery.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “hold” rating and set a $132.00 price target on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $133.00 to $126.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $176.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $161.00 to $150.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 price target on PepsiCo in a report on Friday, October 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.28.

PepsiCo Stock Up 2.7%

The firm’s fifty day moving average is $133.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.87. The firm has a market cap of $187.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.25, a P/E/G ratio of 4.00 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $25.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $24.95 billion. PepsiCo had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 53.08%. PepsiCo’s revenue was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.29 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at PepsiCo

In other news, Director Robert C. Pohlad purchased 184,646 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $128.28 per share, for a total transaction of $23,686,388.88. Following the transaction, the director owned 433,009 shares in the company, valued at $55,546,394.52. This trade represents a 74.35% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total value of $4,053,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 491,645 shares in the company, valued at $66,435,988.85. This represents a 5.75% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PepsiCo

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its position in PepsiCo by 1.7% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 40,530 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,136,000 after acquiring an additional 659 shares during the last quarter. Bfsg LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 3.7% in the third quarter. Bfsg LLC now owns 11,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,410,000 after acquiring an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Cowa LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 32.0% in the third quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 9,353 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,185,000 after acquiring an additional 2,269 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 17,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,248,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jmac Enterprises LLC boosted its stake in shares of PepsiCo by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 7,518 shares of the company’s stock valued at $953,000 after purchasing an additional 1,105 shares in the last quarter. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company whose portfolio includes Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Quaker, Tostitos, Fritos, and SodaStream. Its products span carbonated soft drinks, sports and energy beverages, bottled water, juices, convenient foods, snacks, and other packaged food offerings.

The company sells products through retail stores, restaurants, food-service providers, e-commerce platforms, and other distribution channels. PepsiCo serves consumers in North America and international markets across Latin America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.