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

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

PepsiCo Price Performance

Shares of PEP traded down $3.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $135.77. The company had a trading volume of 7,473,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,169,795. The company has a market capitalization of $185.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.57. PepsiCo, Inc. has a 1-year low of $123.47 and a 1-year high of $171.48.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 7th. The company reported $2.34 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.29 by $0.05. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 53.08% and a net margin of 11.09%. The company had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.29 EPS. PepsiCo’s revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that PepsiCo, Inc. will post 8.41 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PEP has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $132.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Friday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $138.00 to $137.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $173.00 to $164.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $143.28.

PepsiCo News Roundup

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

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Evergreen Advisors LLC bought a new stake in PepsiCo in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Montgomery Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in PepsiCo during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Networth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in PepsiCo by 2,857.1% during the first quarter. Networth Advisors LLC now owns 207 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC purchased a new position in shares of PepsiCo in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Atlatl Advisers LLC bought a new stake in shares of PepsiCo in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.