PepsiCo taps healthy-food demand

Article Excerpt

PEPSICO INC. $112 (Nasdaq symbol PEP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares o/s: 1.4 billion; Market cap: $156.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.5; Dividend yield: 3.3%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.pepsico.com) will now buy SodaStream International Inc. (Nasdaq symbol SODA) for $3.2 billion. Based in Israel, that firm manufactures machines that let consumers make their own soft drinks by combining carbonated water with flavoured syrup pods. Expanding by acquisition adds risk. However, the purchase should cut PepsiCo’s reliance on sugary drinks and salty snacks. Sales of those products have suffered in the past few years as consumers switch to more-healthful alternatives. Even so, the stock trades at a somewhat high 19.7 times the $5.69 a share that PepsiCo should earn in 2018. PepsiCo is still a hold. hold…