Campbell looks better for stay-at-home gains

Article Excerpt

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a surge in demand for grocery products. For investors, that has lifted shares of both PepsiCo and Campbell Soup. However, the ongoing closures of movie theatres and sports arenas will continue to hurt sales of soft drinks. While that’s likely to slow further share-price gains for PepsiCo, the closures are just as likely to boost your Campbell shares. PEPSICO INC. $131 is still a hold. The company (Nasdaq symbol PEP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $183.4 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.7; Divd. yield: 3.1%; 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 snack foods, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana fruit juices and Quaker Oats cereals. In the quarter ended March 21, 2020, PepsiCo’s sales rose 7.7%, to $13.88 billion from $12.88 billion a year earlier. That gain is partly due to increased spending on food during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall earnings also rose…