NEW YORK, June 27, 2026, 18:05 EDT
- PepsiCo NASDAQ:PEP gained 1.34% Friday, closing at $141.39. For the week, shares edged up just 0.48%. PepsiCo is still down 17.55% from its February peak.
- Jefferies, BofA and Citi trimmed their price targets on PepsiCo in the past two days. The average analyst target remains 18.27% higher than where PepsiCo closed on Friday.
- U.S. exchanges are closed for the weekend. Nasdaq trades Monday through Friday. Markets in the U.S. are set to be closed on July 3 for Independence Day observed.
PepsiCo Inc NASDAQ:PEP moves into the holiday-shortened week with a steadier defensive setup compared to the S&P 500, though the sell-side isn’t as bullish as Friday’s move might point to.
PepsiCo shares gained 1.34% to close at $141.39 on Friday, while the S&P 500 finished down by less than 0.1%. Coca-Cola Co NYSE:KO outperformed, with a 2.75% rise. PepsiCo remains 17.55% below its 52-week peak of $171.48 from Feb. 12.
The bigger move for PepsiCo was over the week. Shares gained 0.48% in five sessions, while the S&P 500 dropped 2% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 4.6% in the same stretch. That sort of relative gain helped the stock stand out as a defensive name, but it hasn’t made up for the 9.84% slide over three months, MarketWatch data show.
Gap between analyst targets and the stock’s moves is the standout issue here. BofA lowered its target to $164 from $173 and stayed neutral. Citi went to $170 from $182 but kept its buy. Jefferies trimmed to $162 from $164, holding steady. MarketScreener lists 24 analysts with an average target at $167.23, about 18.27% over the last close.
PepsiCo is facing target cuts ahead of its second-quarter earnings, not after. The company reports results for the quarter ended June 13 on July 9. No earnings are due from PepsiCo this week, but shares will start trading with the new cuts when U.S. markets open Monday.
Consumer staples got a lift. State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSEARCA:XLP) rose 0.92% on Friday to $84.71. PepsiCo made up 4.44% of the ETF, behind Altria Group Inc NYSE:MO and ahead of Mondelez International Inc NASDAQ:MDLZ, Schwab holdings data showed.
PepsiCo is more than a staples play. North America performance is still in the spotlight. Insider Monkey, quoting analyst notes, said Jefferies called PepsiCo’s U.S. year-to-date numbers weak, while BofA cut estimates because recovery at PepsiCo Foods North America is taking longer.
PepsiCo’s first quarter came in with net revenue up 8.5%, organic revenue up 2.6%. EPS jumped 27%, core EPS up 9%. Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said North America “continued to make progress.” The company left its outlook for 2026 unchanged, calling for 2% to 4% organic revenue growth, and 4% to 6% core constant-currency EPS growth. MarketScreener
PepsiCo shares are struggling because analysts’ targets are already baking in a recovery for the back half of the year. The stock traded at $141.39, putting the company’s market cap around $193.85 billion. That’s a P/E of 22.2 using the latest market numbers.
A sluggish Q2 leaves investors holding a defensive stock that has performed during one tough week, but analysts are still cutting their recovery estimates ahead of results.
