PepsiCo (PEP) Increases Yet Falls Behind Market: What Investors Need to Know

PepsiCo (PEP) ended the recent trading session at $154.79, demonstrating a +1.03% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was less than the S&P 500's daily gain of 2.51%. At the same time, the Dow added 2.85%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 2.8%. The food and beverage company's shares have seen a decrease of 4.71% over the last month, surpassing the Consumer Staples sector's loss of 5.42% and falling behind the S&P 500's loss of 1.66%.The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of PepsiCo in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on April 16, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.55, reflecting a 4.73% increase from the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $18.95 billion, up 5.74% from the year-ago period. In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $8.63 per share and a revenue of $98.19 billion, indicating changes of +6.02% and +4.54%, respectively, from the former year. It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for PepsiCo. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook. Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system. The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.17% higher. As of now, PepsiCo holds a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold). Valuation is also important, so investors should note that PepsiCo has a Forward P/E ratio of 17.75 right now. This indicates a discount in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 18.48. Meanwhile, PEP's PEG ratio is currently 2.95. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Beverages - Soft drinks industry stood at 1.55 at the close of the market yesterday. The Beverages - Soft drinks industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 163, placing it within the bottom 34% of over 250 industries. The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Remember to apply Zacks.com to follow these and more stock-moving metrics during the upcoming trading sessions. Research Chief Names "Single Best Pick to Double"From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.This company targets millennial and Gen Z audiences, generating nearly $1 billion in revenue last quarter alone. A recent pullback makes now an ideal time to jump aboard. Of course, all our elite picks aren’t winners but this one could far surpass earlier Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Nano-X Imaging which shot up +129.6% in little more than 9 months.Free: See Our Top Stock And 4 Runners UpThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks