PepsiCo Inc (NASDAQ:PEP) is charged up and in growth mode under its new CEO. Can it translate to a big earnings beat to keep the 2019 rally alive? The data is promising, to say the least.
One year into new CEO Ramon Laguarta's tenure, Pepsi is starting to see the benefits of new leadership. Shares are up 25% this year, and after a dip in job postings, the company added 85% more postings in 2019. It bears noting that Pepsi's postings proceed on a cyclical pattern, but our data has previously identified Laguarta's ambitions to grow certain parts of the business.
When Pepsi reports earnings October 3, analysts tracked by Zacks Investment Research are looking for $1.50 EPS.
But Pepsi isn't growing everywhere. In fact, its job postings based in China are down more than 50% from their peak earlier this year.
That's not the case everywhere on Wall Street, however - data reflects that a number of companies that had previously shied away from China, like Nike (NYSE:NKE) and Micron (NASDAQ:MU), have changed course and appear to be re-investing in job postings there.
Finally, we have an opportunity to take a look at workforce sentiment, thanks to our Indeed.com Overall Workplace Rating Tracker. Generally speaking a CEO has a one-year grace period where she or he can make an impact, and begin to gauge results - and for Laguarta, that time hasn't yet come. However, from the peak - dating back a couple of years - worker satisfaction has dipped by about 2%.
Laguarta's predecessor, Indra Nooyi, was liked by staffers, who drove up her Indeed.com rating - so while the stock price reflects growth, Pepsi's workplace rating is worth watching going forward.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.