The company is seeing increased demand for sodas and snacks
The shares of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) are up 0.2% at $150.51 at last check, after the beverage and food name posted third-quarter earnings of $1.79 per share -- higher than Wall Street's estimates of $1.73 per share -- as well as a revenue beat. To boot, the company also raised its full-year revenue forecast, amid increased demand for sodas and snacks as public venues, including theaters and restaurants, reopen in light of easing Covid-19 restrictions.
The brokerage bunch is already chiming in on the results. More specifically, the equity earned an upgrade from CRFA to "strong buy" from "buy." While analysts were mostly bullish towards PEP coming into today, there is still plenty of room for upgrades. Of the 15 in coverage, nine call the stock a "strong buy," while the remaining six say "hold" or worse.
PepsiCo stock has been cooling down from an Aug. 20, all-time high of $159.63 over the last few weeks. Shares have recently found a floor at the $149 level, though, and have the support of the 140-day moving average. Year-over-year, PEP carries a 10.1% year-over-yeare lead.
The options pits are already firmly in the bullish camp. At the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), PEP's 50-day call/put volume ratio of 2.72 stands higher than 90% of readings from the past year, indicating calls have been getting picked up at a quicker-than-usual clip in the last 10 weeks.
The stock's usually quiet options pits are bursting with activity today. So far, 4,084 calls and 3,621 puts have crossed the tape, which is five time the average intraday amount. Most popular is the weekly 10/8 152.50-strike call, followed by the 155-strike call in the same series.