Investors may be getting ready to review the most recent company earnings reports. Digging down into the numbers may help provide a good idea of how the company is set up for the foreseeable future. After a recent scan, we can see that the current quarter EPS consensus estimate for Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) is 1.5. This EPS estimate is using estimates provided by 8 sell-side analysts polled by Zacks Research. For the previous reporting period, the company posted a quarterly EPS of 1.54. Investors and analysts will be closely watching to see what kind of impact the earnings results have on the stock after the next report.
Some investors may be lamenting the fact that they have not taken full advantage of the long bull run. There are plenty of pundits that are calling for a sharp stock market decline, but there are also many who believe that the ceiling has been raised and there is much more room for stocks to go higher. Getting into the market at these levels may be holding some investors back from jumping into the fray, and nobody can be sure which way the momentum will swing as we near the end of the year. The next round of company earnings reports should provide some good information about future prospects. Investors will be closely watching to see which sectors are running at full speed and which ones are lagging.
Looking further at shares of Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), we have noticed that the current consensus target price is $133.18. Wall Street analysts have the ability to create price target estimates for where they think the stock will be moving in the near-term. Because price target projections can differ from one analyst to the next, they may span a wide range of values. Many investors will closely track target prices, and they tend to pay extra close attention when analysts make revisions to those targets.
Wall Street analysts often give buy/sell/hold ratings for the companies that they track. Investors have the ability to view these sell-side ratings in order to help with their own stock research. Analyst ratings may have different interpretations. According to analysts polled by Zacks Research, the current average broker rating on shares of Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) is 2. This rating uses a scale between 1 and 5. Following this scale, a rating of 1 would represent a Strong Buy, and a rating of 5 would indicate a Strong Sell recommendation. Out of all these analysts offering ratings, 8 have rated the stock a Strong Buy or Buy, according to Zacks Research.
Shifting the focus to some possible support and resistance levels on shares of Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE:PEP), we note that the 52-week high is currently $139.15, and the 52-week low is currently $105.06. When shares are trading near to the 52-week high or 52-week low, investors may be watching for a break through either level. Investors may also be watching historical price action. Over the past 12 weeks, the stock has moved 0.55%. Going back to the start of the year, we can see that shares have moved 22.08%. Over the last 4 weeks, shares have seen a change of 1.74%. Over the last 5 trading days, the stock has moved -1.11%. Checking in on recent session activity, we have seen that the stock has been trading near the $135.7 mark.
Even though the stock market has been cranking along and touching record highs, there are bound to be some rough patches in the near future. Some investors may actually welcome a pullback in order to scoop up some stocks at a relative discount. Investors who are on top of things are most likely ready to spring when the next big buying opportunity pops up. Being prepared for a buying opportunity can make the process much easier when the time comes. As investors look ahead to the next round of company earnings reports, the focus may gravitate to those companies that have positioned themselves for sustained future growth. Many investors will be closely monitoring which companies outperform by the largest margin after earnings results are released.
