Most people buy a stock because they heard the name, liked the product, or watched it climb. Jim Cramer thinks that habit is backwards.
On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” the host laid out how he starts hunting for stocks to own, and his method flips the usual order.
He told viewers to begin with the big picture first, then work down to a single company that fits.
One name cleared that filter: PepsiCo (PEP).
How Jim Cramer’s top-down approach to picking stocks actually works
Cramer’s message was direct.
When you’re searching for stocks to own, you need a worldview, the “Mad Money” host said, according to CNBC. That means a view on the economy and interest rates first.
Once he has that read, he looks for sectors positioned to benefit, then finds the specific companies inside them.
This is called a top-down approach, which means you start with the economy, narrow to a sector, and only then pick a stock, instead of falling for one company in isolation.
Cramer, who co-founded TheStreet and ran the hedge fund Cramer Berkowitz through the 1990s before moving to television, has spent decades preaching this discipline to retail investors.
His current read led him somewhere specific: companies that gain when oil prices fall, and that pay you a dividend while you wait.
That search brought PepsiCo onto his radar. He is not alone in liking the name, and TheStreet’s own pros flagged PepsiCo as a top pick for 2026 for many of the same reasons.
Why falling gas prices put PepsiCo (PEP) on Cramer’s shortlist
The link between cheaper gas and snack sales is more direct than it sounds.
When drivers pay less at the pump, they have more cash for everyday extras like chips and soda. PepsiCo sells exactly those things through Frito-Lay and its beverage brands.
The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline fell to $4.06 in early August, with crude oil prices sliding into the $70-per-barrel range, AAA reported.
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The federal government sees the trend continuing. The Energy Information Administration forecasts retail gasoline prices will fall about 6% in 2026 before edging up 1% in 2027.
PepsiCo’s management flagged fuel costs as a real drag on sales.
“I think the consumer is worse than what we had anticipated, and it’s driven mainly by gas prices,” CEO Ramon Laguarta said on the company’s second-quarter earnings call, according to CNBC.
That comment cuts both ways for investors. It confirms the pressure, and it points to relief if pump prices keep drifting lower.
What PepsiCo’s valuation and 4% dividend offer investors right now
Cramer’s second filter was downside protection through a large, reliable dividend.
PepsiCo fits that description well. The stock currently yields about 4%, several times the roughly 1% average yield of the S&P 500.
On valuation, Cramer noted the stock trades at about 16 times projected 2027 earnings, a level he considers cheap for a company of this quality.
For context, that sits below rivals like Coca-Cola (KO), which trades at a much richer multiple after a strong 2026 run.
Here is why the setup interests value-focused buyers:
Three reasons PepsiCo screens as cheap for patient investors
- Yield near 4%. PepsiCo pays a quarterly dividend of $1.48 per share, giving income while the turnaround plays out.
- A discounted multiple. At about 16 times 2027 earnings, the stock trades below its consumer-staples peers.
- A beaten-down price. Shares recently traded near $140, well below the 52-week high of $171.48.
None of that guarantees a rebound. A cheap stock can stay cheap if sales keep slipping, so the dividend is the reward for waiting.
How Elliott’s $4 billion stake is pushing PepsiCo to change
Cramer isn’t the only heavyweight paying attention. An activist investor has been pressing PepsiCo’s management for over a year.
Elliott Investment Management built a stake of about $4 billion in PepsiCo and sent the board a letter outlining ways to accelerate growth, Food Dive reported.
Elliott pushed for concrete moves, including refranchising the company-owned bottling network and reviewing underperforming food assets for possible sale.
In December, 2025, the two sides reached an agreement rather than fighting a proxy battle.
PepsiCo committed to reducing its product count by about 20%, simplifying ingredient lists, and cutting prices on snacks, FoodBev Media reported.
Related: Where is Coca-Cola’s headquarters? All about its Atlanta, GA base
Here is what that means for you as a shareholder.
Activist pressure often forces a slow-moving company to sharpen its focus, which can lift the stock if management delivers.
That same pressure already showed up in operations, with Frito-Lay closing distribution centers and cutting jobs earlier this year.
What PepsiCo’s latest earnings say about the turnaround
The company’s second-quarter results showed both the problem and the opportunity.
Net revenue rose 6.4% to $24.18 billion, beating estimates, while core earnings came in at $2.20 per share, a penny below consensus, Yahoo Finance reported.
The split between home and abroad tells the real story.
Globally, food volume rose 3% and beverage volume rose 2%. But North American beverage volume dropped 4%, and North American food volume was flat, CNBC reported.
To win back domestic shoppers, PepsiCo already acted. It rolled out price cuts of up to 15% on Lay’s, Tostitos, Doritos, and Cheetos in February, after years of steep increases, Fortune noted.
Those cuts pressure margins now, but they aim to rebuild volume over time.
How PepsiCo stock stacks up against the market and its rival
PepsiCo has been an underperformer, and the numbers make that plain.
PepsiCo trades well off its highs and carries a Moderate Buy rating, with an average analyst target of $158.06. This is based on 18 analysts, with 12 Holds and 6 Buy ratings.
Coca-Cola, meanwhile, is “crushing” its rival on Wall Street, the New York Post reported, with shares up more than 26% for the year as of late July, Barron’s reported.
That gap is exactly what draws value buyers. You are paying less for PepsiCo’s earnings and collecting a bigger dividend than Coca-Cola offers.
The trade-off is patience. Coca-Cola is winning today, helped by a strong World Cup marketing push, while PepsiCo is still working to fix its North American volume.
What still needs to happen before PepsiCo pays off
Cramer was clear that liking a stock is not the same as owning one.
“That’s the genesis of an idea, not a position,” he said, adding that investors still need to study the company over years and figure out whether management will do what it says.
For PepsiCo, a few things need to fall into place:
Four things that would strengthen the bull case for PEP
- Gas prices keep falling, freeing up consumer cash for snacks and drinks.
- North American volume stabilizes, showing the February price cuts are working.
- Elliott’s plan delivers, with bottling and portfolio changes lifting margins.
- The dividend holds, rewarding investors through the wait.
If those pieces line up, the low valuation gives the stock room to recover.
If North American demand stays weak, the turnaround could stretch well into 2027.
The bottom line is straightforward. PepsiCo offers a cheap price, a generous dividend, and an activist pushing for change, but it still needs to prove its home market is healing before the payoff arrives.
For now, Cramer’s larger point stands. A good stock idea is a starting line, not a finish line, and independent analysis matters more than the recommendation itself.
Related: Coca-Cola absorbs margin hit for expansion in key market
