Insider Selling: PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) CEO Sells 30,000 Shares of Stock

by · The Markets Daily

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP – Get Free Report) CEO Ramon Laguarta sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.13, for a total transaction of $4,053,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 491,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $66,435,988.85. This trade represents a 5.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ PEP traded down $3.06 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $135.77. 7,473,709 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,169,795. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 12 month low of $123.47 and a 12 month high of $171.48. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $134.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $185.02 billion, a PE ratio of 17.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.35.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $25.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.95 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 53.08% and a net margin of 11.09%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.29 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PepsiCo News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo renewed its beverage partnership with Taco Bell through 2036, preserving an important distribution channel for Pepsi, Mountain Dew Baja Blast and future crafted, functional and energy drinks. The agreement is particularly supportive after Taco Bell’s sister chain, KFC, selected Coca-Cola in the U.S. Pepsi renews contract with Taco Bell
  • Positive Sentiment: Increased options activity included more than 55,000 purchased call contracts, roughly 71% above typical volume. This may indicate speculative bullish interest, although options activity alone does not establish a durable change in investor sentiment. Unusual Options Volume Report
  • Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding beyond traditional soda and snacks with protein-focused Good Warrior bars, new Quaker snack products in India and other product-innovation initiatives. These efforts could support longer-term growth, but their near-term financial contribution is uncertain. PepsiCo’s Good Warrior enters protein bar space
  • Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo is closing its Knoxville, Tennessee, bottling plant, affecting more than 100 jobs, amid sliding soft-drink volumes. The shutdown may reduce costs, but it also highlights pressure on North American beverage demand. PepsiCo shuts Tennessee bottling plant
  • Negative Sentiment: Erste Group lowered its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts to $8.39 and $8.60, respectively. Separate commentary also questioned whether PepsiCo’s roughly 4% dividend yield is adequately covered by cash flow after the company reduced its earnings outlook, increasing concern about payout sustainability. PepsiCo dividend coverage concerns

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,755,509,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,200,274,000. Corient Private Wealth LP bought a new position in PepsiCo in the second quarter valued at approximately $297,116,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in PepsiCo during the second quarter valued at approximately $487,558,000. Finally, Diamant Asset Management Inc. raised its position in PepsiCo by 16,146.5% during the first quarter. Diamant Asset Management Inc. now owns 3,586,423 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,564,348 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.07% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PEP shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on PepsiCo from $173.00 to $164.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on PepsiCo from $138.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $145.00 target price on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, October 9th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $145.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of PepsiCo from $159.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $143.28.

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PepsiCo Company Profile

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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.

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