New Plan Improves PepsiCo’s Prospects

Article Excerpt

PEPSICO INC. $54 (New York symbol PEP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.6 billion; Market cap: $86.4 billion; WSSF Rating: Above average) aims to improve its long-term profitability with a new restructuring plan that should cut its expenses by $1.2 billion over the next three years. That will put PepsiCo in a better position to handle rising costs for grains and fuel. The company gets 40% of its revenue from overseas, so these savings will also help it cope with the rising U.S. dollar. Meanwhile, PepsiCo earnings in the third quarter of 2008 fell to $0.99 a share (total $1.6 billion) from $1.06 a share ($1.7 billion) a year earlier. If you exclude losses on hedging, PepsiCo would have earned $1.06 a share in the latest quarter. Sales grew 9.8%, to $11.2 billion from $10.2 billion, thanks partly to rising product prices. Total snack volume rose 2%, while beverages grew 3%. PepsiCo is a buy. buy…