PepsiCo shares gain the most in a month on Monday, company appoints Paula Santilli as CEO of its Latin America business

PepsiCo Inc (PEP) said on Monday that it had appointed Paula Santilli as Chief Executive Officer of its Latin America business, effective May 1st. At present, Santilli serves as President of PepsiCo Mexico Foods.

PepsiCo shares closed higher for a second consecutive trading session on NASDAQ on Monday. It has also been the sharpest daily surge since February 15th. The stock went up 1.39% ($1.61) to $117.27, after touching an intraday high at $117.41, or a price level not seen since March 13th ($117.56).

Shares of PepsiCo Inc have surged 6.15% so far in 2019 compared with a 13.01% gain for the benchmark index, S&P 500 (SPX).

In 2018, PepsiCo’s stock went down 7.87%, thus, it again underperformed the S&P 500, which registered a 6.24% loss.

In her new role, Paula Santilli is expected to report to PepsiCos Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta.

Santilli is succeeding Laxman Narasimhan, who has recently been appointed as PepsiCos Global Chief Commercial Officer.

Previously, Santilli was Chief Operating Officer of all business units of PepsiCo Mexico Foods, providing leadership for Sales, Marketing and Operations. She became part of PepsiCos team through the acquisition of the Quaker Oats Company.

At the same time, Roberto Martinez has been named as President of PepsiCo Mexico Foods and will report to Santilli. At present, Martinez serves as Chief Commercial Officer for PepsiCos Latin America business.

“As we focus on becoming more consumer-centric and faster, stronger and better in everything we do, we are fortunate to have two strong and skilled PepsiCo leaders to take on the important roles of overseeing our Latin America business and our Mexico Foods business,” Ramon Laguarta, said in a statement.

“Paula brings a deep understanding of our business, the marketplace and our consumers in Latin America, and commercial expertise across both the food and beverage categories. She has a proven track record of delivering results, while also advancing diversity and inclusion,” Laguarta added.

According to CNN Money, the 20 analysts, offering 12-month forecasts regarding PepsiCo Inc’s stock price, have a median target of $119.50, with a high estimate of $133.00 and a low estimate of $100.00. The median estimate represents a 1.90% upside compared to the closing price of $117.27 on March 18th.

The same media also reported that 13 out of 24 surveyed investment analysts had rated PepsiCo Inc’s stock as “Hold”, while 8 – as “Buy”. On the other hand, 1 analyst had recommended selling the stock.

Weekly Pivot Levels

By using the traditional method of calculation, the weekly levels of importance for PepsiCo Inc (PEP) are presented as follows:

Central Pivot Point – $116.24
R1 – $117.49
R2 – $118.82
R3 – $120.07
R4 – $121.33

S1 – $114.91
S2 – $113.66
S3 – $112.33
S4 – $111.01