NEW YORK, December 30, 2025, 12:12 ET — Regular session
PepsiCo, Inc. shares were down 0.1% at $144.10 in midday trading on Tuesday, roughly in line with a dip in the consumer staples sector, while rival Coca-Cola was also slightly lower.
The muted move comes as Wall Street drifts through thin year-end volume and awaits minutes from the Federal Reserve’s Dec. 9-10 meeting, when officials delivered an expected 25-basis-point rate cut. “Heading into the new year, you may have some repositioning… I wouldn’t try to make too much out of anything,” said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B Riley Wealth. U.S. markets are closed Thursday for New Year’s Day. Reuters
For PepsiCo, the timing matters because defensive consumer-staples names often trade on shifts in risk appetite, and the company is heading into 2026 with new senior roles in place after a broader reshuffle.
PepsiCo said Steven Williams moved into the role of executive vice president and vice chairman, global chief commercial officer and corporate affairs, effective Dec. 28, while Ram Krishnan became CEO of PepsiCo North America on the same date. The company also said Athina Kanioura took on CEO of Latin America Foods in addition to her strategy and transformation role, also effective Dec. 28.
Earlier this month, PepsiCo outlined priorities it said were aimed at enhancing shareholder value and provided a preliminary 2026 outlook. The company said it expects organic revenue — which strips out currency and deal impacts — to rise 2% to 4% in 2026, and “core” earnings per share on a constant-currency basis — adjusted to exclude certain items and remove exchange-rate swings — to increase 4% to 6%. It also said it will publish fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 3, 2026, with a live Q&A scheduled that morning. PepsiCo
Activist pressure has been a running backdrop. Reuters reported earlier this month that Elliott Management was nearing a settlement agreement with PepsiCo after taking a roughly $4 billion stake in September, according to a Wall Street Journal report cited by Reuters.
On the chart, PepsiCo is trading below its 50-day moving average, near its 200-day moving average — levels that some traders use as markers for short- and longer-term momentum. The stock’s 52-week range runs from $127.60 to $160.15.
With the broader market moving cautiously into year-end, traders are watching whether defensives regain traction if volatility picks up in larger technology names.
For PepsiCo, investors will be looking for clarity on how the North America leadership structure translates into execution, including trends in pricing and volumes in snacks and beverages and any read-through on promotional intensity.
The next earnings update will also be a check on cost and productivity efforts, as well as the impact of currency moves on reported results for a company that sells in more than 200 countries and territories.
Until then, PepsiCo shares are likely to trade with sector flows and the tone set by the Fed minutes later Tuesday, with company-specific attention turning to early February.
