Higher prices both help and hurt these two

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These two beverage makers continue to raise their selling prices to offset higher ingredient and other costs. So far, their sales volumes have held up thanks to their strong brands. However, more price hikes could prompt consumers to switch to cheaper products. PEPSICO INC. $189 is a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol PEP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $264.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.0; Dividend yield: 2.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pepsico.com) is the world’s second-largest soft-drink maker after Coca-Cola. Its other brands include Frito-Lay snacks, Gatorade sports drinks, and Quaker Oats. In January 2022, the company sold 61% of its Tropicana juice business to private equity firm PAI Partners. It received $3.5 billion and kept 39% of the joint venture. PepsiCo used some of that cash to buy $550 million of convertible preferred stock in energy drink maker Celsius Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq symbol CELH). If converted, the company would then hold 8.5% of Celsius. Meantime, PepsiCo’s sales in the quarter ended…