PepsiCo Reports Earnings Next Week. Buy the Stock Now, Analyst Says.

A PepsiCo bull is getting out ahead of the beverage and snack giant’s second-quarter report Tuesday: She’s making a buy recommendation now.

On Friday, Cowen & Co. analyst Vivien Azer reiterated an Outperform rating and $165 price target on PepsiCo (ticker: PEP). She’s modeling for the company to earn $1.51 a share, 2 cents below the average analyst estimate—although she notes that figure could be conservative—and organic revenue growth of 8.6%.

Azer expects Frito Lay North America’s organic revenue growth to be 4%, and notes the division is holding up well despite difficult year-over-year comparisons when more consumers were snacking at home during Covid-19 restrictions.

The analyst believes Pepsi’s North American beverage business, by contrast, will see its easiest comparison of the year in the second quarter, and points out that recent data shows it may be pulling ahead of Coca-Cola (KO) in terms of sales growth.

Also, overall Covid-related costs should be down because of a strong vaccine rollout in the U.S., which accounts for nearly two-thirds of Pepsi’s profits. Still, Azer wrote, the lingering pandemic threat in Latin America could be a headwind in that region.

Other analysts have been optimistic about Pepsi’s earnings as well. A little over half of the 23 tracked by FactSet rate it at Buy or the equivalent, with 43% on the sidelines and one bearish call. The average analyst price target is $156.02.

Consensus calls for Pepsi to earn $1.53 a share on revenue of $17.97 billion. That’s up from EPS of $1.21 and revenue of $14.82 billion in the previous quarter, reported in April. Pepsi’s EPS hasn’t missed quarterly expectations in the past five years.

Pepsi will host a conference call at 8:15 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday.