PepsiCo  got a rating upgrade at  Citigroup, on wider profit margin expectations. Citigroup analyst Wendy Nicholson boosted her rating on the beverage giant’s shares to buy from neutral.She also raised her share-price target to Wall Street high $169, from $148.  The price target implies a 22% upside potential from Friday's close at $138.44. According to Nicholson, increasing operating margins could boost Pepsi shares.

Coca-Cola Co.  beat earnings expectations for the second quarter, but revenues missed estimates. The beverage giant’s adjusted earnings for the three months ending June came in at 42 cents per share, down -33.3% year-over-year and ahead of the Street consensus estimate of 40 cents per share. However, revenue of $7.2 billion fell short of  analysts' estimates of a $7.57 billion.The figure was also -28% lower from the same quarter last year. The company cited " pressure in away-from-home channels, which represent approximately half of the company’s revenues" (and include clients such as sports stadiums and restaurants) as factors behind the revenue decline. The company withdrew its full-year earnings guidance on April 21.

Beverage company Keurig Dr. Pepper's  largest shareholder Maple Holdings B.V. (a subsidiary of JAB Holdings B.V.) , is planning to sell a 10.1% stake.  The stake represents around 143 million common shares. The shares will be distributed to minority partners, who are affiliates of BDT Capital Partners, affiliates of Quadrant Capital Advisors and the JAB Consumer Fund. Maple owned 868.75 million shares, or 61.7% of Keurig's shares outstanding, as of May 20.After the sale, JAB and subsidiary Maple will jointly own 52.6% of Keurig Dr Pepper. KDP enters an Uptrend as Momentum Indicator exceeded the 0 level on May 15, 2020 This indicator signals that KDP's price has momentum to move higher, since its current price moved above its price 14 days ago.

The beverage maker, however, pulled its full-year profit guidance as coronavirus crisis weighs on near-term sales prospects. Coca-Cola’s adjusted earnings for the three months ending in March came in at 51 cents per share, 7 cents ahead of the Street consensus forecast..The figure also represents +3 cents increase from the year-ago quarter. Revenues increased +7.2% year-over-year to $8.6 billion, exceeding analysts' estimates of $8.3 billion. Coca-Cola expects declines in its 'away-from-home' sales segment, which partly consists of bulk sales at sporting and entertainment events, will offset gains from consumers adding to their personal storage.

 However, its full-year guidance on earnings-per-share fell shy of analysts’ projections. The beverage behemoth’s adjusted earnings for the three months ending in December came in at $1.45 per share, compared to analysts’ estimate of $1.44.However, the figure is -4 cents lower from the same period last year. Total revenues declined -9.75% year-over-year to $20.64 billion, but managed to beat analyst's expectation of $20.27 billion . For the full-year 2020, Pepsi expects +4% organic revenue growth, and predicts +7% earnings per share growth (excluding currency fluctuations). The company has projected adjusted earnings per share of $5.88 for the year, which is below analysts’ forecast of $5.95.

Coca-Cola Company reported third quarter earnings that matched expectations, while revenue topped estimates. The beverage giant’s adjusted earnings for the three months ending September came in at 56 cents per share, slightly lower than the year-ago quarter.But the figure is in-line with the Street estimates. Total revenues increased +8% year-over-year to $9.5 billion in the quarter, which is higher than analysts' estimates. The company’s sugar free soda Coke Zero experienced double-digit volume growth.

PepsiCo released its latest quarterly earnings and revenue that topped analysts’ expectations, on the back of advertising and marketing impact. The beverage giant’s adjusted earnings for the fiscal third-quarter came in at $1.56 per share, exceeding the $1.50 expected by analysts polled by Refinitiv. Revenue of $17.19 billion also beat analysts’ estimate of $16.93 billion. Pepsi’s organic revenue grew by +4.3% in the quarter. The company’s increased advertising has been cited as a major drive behind consumers purchase of Pepsi products, as indicated by CFO Hugh Johnston in a CNBC interview. Pepsi’s North American beverage business grew +3.5%. Frito Lay North America, which includes brands like Cheetos and Doritos, experienced revenue growth of +5.5% for the quarter. What’s more, Pepsi’s apparent drive to cater to an increasingly health-conscious population seems to be paying off.Meanwhile, Bubly continues to gain market share in the flavored sparkling-water category against

Monster Beverage shares were declining Wednesday, following a rating downgrade from Guggenheim Securities.  Analysts at Guggenheim Securities downgraded the beverage company’s stock to neutral from buy, citing competition from the upcoming Coca-Cola Energy.The new target indicates a potential 6.3% upside from the stock's Tuesday closing price.  The analysts indicated that their concerns included Monster’s in-store execution, especially in convenience, where shelf space is more constrained.  

Credit Suisse analysts gave Monster shares a $77 price target, representing 36% potential upside from the stock's previous close.  Monster shares have been hurt by its second-quarter sales and earnings figures (reported early August) that fell short of the Street expectations.Also, there have been apparent concerns over sales of its new recent fitness beverage Reign, which haven’t been as strong as expected. However, at a price multiple of 26 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, Credit Suisse analyst Kaumil Gajrawala views Monster Beverage shares as “cheap, given best-in-class growth prospects, low capital needs, and a clean balance sheet” .

They were also higher compared to the year-ago quarter’s 54 cents a share, Sales of $10 billion also beat estimates of $9.9 billion (based on FactSet poll). The company mentioned a +4% volume and transaction growth in Coke’s namesake brand.Its Zero Sugar line once again experienced double-digit volume growth worldwide. In recent years, Coke has expanded its footprints well beyond its iconic brown carbonated drinks.

PepsiCo earnings for the second quarter surpassed analysts’ expectations, on the back of strong sales in snacks and sparkling water. The beverage and snack company reported adjusted earnings of $1.54 per share for the quarter, compared to  $1.50 expected by Wall Street analysts. Pepsi’s revenue of $16.449 billion also edged past analysts’ estimates of $16.426 billion. Its Frito-Lay North America segment was the strongest performer in sales, reporting +5% organic revenue growth.Frito-Lay revenues along with the company's other snacks businesses comprise more than half of the group's total revenue. Pepsi’s North American beverage business organic revenue grew by +2.2%.

Following a rating upgrade by Morgan Stanley, Coca-Cola stock price jumped more than +2% in pre-market trading Tuesday. Morgan Stanley analysts raised rating on the soft drink giant’s shares to overweight from equal weight.Analyst Dara Mohsenian also hiked her 12-month price target on the stock to $55 from $52, which reflects a 14.5% upside. Mohsenian emphasized that growth outlook on Coca-Cola is higher than its consumer packaged goods peers, while also praising the company’s pricing power, “strategy tweaks”, strong volume growth, and rebounding emerging market trends as tailwinds for the stock.

Now the company is ready to release Coca-Cola Coffee in more than 25 markets around the world by the end of 2019. The drink, with slightly less caffeine content than in a normal cup of coffee but more caffeine than in a can of soda, claims it can boost the mid-afternoon energy slump among busy office workers. The move comes as customer beverage preferences have shifted from more sugary options to less sugary options like bottled water or Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.Chilled coffee is another ever expanding segment growing at least 10% annually in the U.S. from 2013 to 2107. For several years, Coca-Cola has been trying to succeed in the coffee business.

Coca-Cola Co beat estimates for quarterly sales and profit, as it sold more water and soft drinks, including its soda and Coke Zero. Revenue rose 5% to $8.02 billion, and the company earned 48 cents per share on an adjusted basis. Analysts had forecast earnings of 46 cents per share on revenue of $7.88 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES.  Net income attributable to the company rose to $1.68 billion, or 39 cents per share, in the first quarter ended March 29 from $1.37 billion, or 32 cents per share, a year earlier.

The soft drink & snacks major also clocked in the sharpest organic sales growth in more than three years. Pepsi’s earnings for the three months ending in March came in at $1 per share, beating analysts’ expectations of 93 cents per share.  Organic sales growth (a metric that separates out currency market impacts as well as mergers and acquisitions) increased +5.2% from last year, marking the fastest pace of quarterly year-over-year growth in more than three years, according to the company.  CEO Ramon Laguarta indicated that Pepsi’s Frito-Lay North America and the company’s international businesses delivered solid operational results, while PepsiCo Beverages North America generated “sequential quarterly net revenue acceleration.

New Age Beverages Corp recently announced that the company would nationally expand its Marley brand beverages as it joins hand with the grocery giant Walmart. For the Colorado and Utah-based organic and natural beverage company, the distribution expansion marks the first ever national account penetration.All three flavors are now available at Walmart stores. This expansion is important for the beverage maker, as intending to become the world’s leading healthy beverages and lifestyles company after the Marley brand saw a 70% increase in demand last year.

New Age Beverages is expanding its distribution deal with retail giant Walmart on its line of CBD-infused Bob Marley-themed drinks. New Age’s agreement with Walmart is the beverage maker’s first national distribution deal.It is also in talks with Walmart for drinks in addition Marley Mate brand.

Last month, during PepsiCo's (NASDAQ:PEP) fourth-quarter 2018 earnings conference call, and again at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference on Feb. 20, new PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta expressed his vision for the beverage and snacks conglomerate.Any shareholders looking for a swift restructuring of core segments, or a major upcoming business transaction, were left with decisively extinguished hopes. Read More...

Monster Beverage   (MNST - Get Report)  shares were down Wednesday after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to neutral from buy and removed it from its Americas Conviction List.READ MORE...

When Coca-Cola realized that people were drinking flavored sodas that were made by other manufacturers, it knew it should expand its range beyond Vanilla Coke and Cherry Coke. Earlier this month it announced the launch of Orange Vanilla Coke in North America, the first new flavor for its original drink in more than a decade.On Monday, Coke released a commercial for the drink, based around a 1970s car chase movie theme, coinciding with its store rollout.  READ MORE...