PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Freedom Broker

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 13th, 2026

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP – Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Freedom Broker from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday, Zacks reports.

PEP has been the subject of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $165.00 price objective on shares of PepsiCo in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of PepsiCo from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 24th. TD Cowen dropped their price target on PepsiCo from $145.00 to $133.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of PepsiCo from $140.00 to $135.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of PepsiCo from $159.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $145.50.

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PepsiCo Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:PEP opened at $126.68 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $172.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.91, a PEG ratio of 2.92 and a beta of 0.35. PepsiCo has a 12 month low of $123.47 and a 12 month high of $171.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $135.22 and its 200 day moving average is $142.83. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.90.

PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 8th. The company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $25.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.95 billion. PepsiCo had a return on equity of 53.08% and a net margin of 11.09%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.29 earnings per share. PepsiCo has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.344-8.425 EPS. Research analysts predict that PepsiCo will post 8.40 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other PepsiCo news, EVP David Flavell sold 2,900 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $139.54, for a total transaction of $404,666.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 74,825 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,441,080.50. This trade represents a 3.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PepsiCo

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its position in PepsiCo by 10.5% during the third quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 17,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,189,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641 shares during the period. Adelphi Trust Co raised its holdings in PepsiCo by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Adelphi Trust Co now owns 7,862 shares of the company’s stock valued at $996,000 after acquiring an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its position in PepsiCo by 2.6% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 367,153 shares of the company’s stock worth $46,526,000 after purchasing an additional 9,403 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of PepsiCo by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 127,986 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,321,000 after acquiring an additional 12,193 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its stake in PepsiCo by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,406,932 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,179,099,000 after purchasing an additional 987,582 shares during the period. 73.07% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting PepsiCo

Here are the key news stories impacting PepsiCo this week:

Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo’s third-quarter revenue increased 5.6% year over year to approximately $25.3 billion, while adjusted EPS exceeded analyst expectations. The company also raised prices on some products, which could help offset inflation and cost pressures. PepsiCo Q3 revenue and outlook
Positive Sentiment: PepsiCo is expanding functional beverages, protein-rich snacks and zero-sugar products to capture demand for healthier and wellness-oriented offerings. Its Poppi acquisition is also being positioned as part of a soft-drink turnaround strategy. PepsiCo functional portfolio
Positive Sentiment: Some investors view PEP as inexpensive after its prolonged decline, citing a dividend yield near 4.7%, strong brands and potentially attractive long-term cash-flow value. PepsiCo also received an A+ profitability grade in one screening report. PepsiCo dividend valuation
Neutral Sentiment: PepsiCo raised roughly €999 million through euro-denominated senior notes. The financing improves liquidity but increases debt and interest obligations as the company faces pressure to improve margins. PepsiCo euro bond offering
Neutral Sentiment: CEO Ramon Laguarta said PepsiCo does not plan to separate its snacks and beverage businesses, maintaining the company’s integrated strategy despite activist investor pressure.
Negative Sentiment: Barclays lowered its PEP price target from $133 to $126 and assigned an “equal weight” rating, implying limited near-term upside. Goldman Sachs and other analysts also reduced their targets amid inflation, cost pressures and concerns about the earnings outlook. Goldman lowers PepsiCo target
Negative Sentiment: PepsiCo’s reduced forecast and ongoing pressure in North American beverages have weakened investor confidence. Cautious consumers, higher costs and the need to improve margins remain key risks.
Negative Sentiment: An Indian court refused relief in a labeling dispute involving Sting, preventing PepsiCo from labeling new bottles as an “energy drink,” creating a regulatory and branding headwind in that market. PepsiCo Sting labeling case

About PepsiCo

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PepsiCo, Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is a global food and beverage company that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes a broad portfolio of snacks, drinks and convenient foods. Its beverage brands include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7UP in select markets, and bubly, while its food and snack brands include Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Fritos, Quaker and Ruffles.

The company’s operations include beverage production and distribution, snack foods, convenient meals and nutrition-oriented products.