Soft drink bellwethersZacks Rank #4 (Sell) Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) KO and Zacks Rank # 3 (Hold) PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) Inc. PEP are likely to report on Apr 21 and Apr 28, respectively. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have a negative Earnings ESP of 0.26% and 0.78%, respectively. Negative ESP suggests that analysts have recently become slightly bearish on the earnings prospects of the duo.
There were two negative earnings estimate revisions for Coca-Cola’s upcoming quarter in the past seven days while none went for an upward revision. Pepsi’s stock witnessed one negative earnings estimate revision in the past seven days.
What Happened During the Pandemic?
Thanks to global operations, the duo started taking a hit from almost the start of Q1, with the China lockdowns, which later took a global turn. China is Coca-Cola’s third-largest market in the world based on the unit case volume.
Loss of on-premise sales would hurt these two companies largely. Notably, on-premise consumption makes up about 40% of Coca-Cola’s sales. However, sales should remain strong in retail stores as consumers indulged in panic buying in various corners of the world in the first quarter.
In late March, J.P. Morgan’s Andrea Teixeira said she believes Coke’s balance sheet is solid and that “the company’s asset-light operating model will allow it to cut costs and still deliver earnings of $2.22 a share in 2021.”
Along with some other analysts, we too believe that PepsiCo’s drinks and snacks should benefit from consumers’ stockpiling. According to RBC Capital Markets’ Nik Modi, PepsiCo would benefit from its December acquisition of the maker of PopCorner snacks.
In any case, the soft drink industry currently has a favorable Zacks Industry Rank (placed at the top 34% of total 250+ industries in the Zacks universe). Also, the sector has less debt/equity ratio of 0.45x than the S&P 500’s 0.70x.
However, a stronger greenback this year is a negative for such large-cap stocks with widespread international footprint. Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund UUP is up 4% this year (read: Top & Flop Currency ETFs Amid Coronavirus Pandemic).
Against this mixed backdrop, investors may be interested in knowing about the Coke and PepsiCo-heavy ETFs along with their stocks. This is because an ETF approach always minimizes company-specific risks.
ETFs in Focus
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo each has a 9% to 10% exposure to iShares Evolved U.S. Consumer Staples ETF IECS, Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund XLP, Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF FSTA and Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF VDC. Investors should also note that Consumer Staples ETFs have performed pretty well amid coronavirus-led selloffs. Now it’s time to have a look at how these funds fare after the earnings releases.
Want key ETF info delivered straight to your inbox?
Zacks’ free Fund Newsletter will brief you on top news and analysis, as well as top-performing ETFs, each week. Get it free >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Coca-Cola Company (The) (KO): Free Stock Analysis Report
PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP): Free Stock Analysis Report
Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE:XLP): ETF Research Reports
Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bullish ETF (UUP): ETF Research Reports
Fidelity MSCI Consumer Staples Index ETF (FSTA): ETF Research Reports
Vanguard Consumer Staples ETF (VDC): ETF Research Reports
iShares Evolved U.S. Consumer Staples ETF (IECS): ETF Research Reports
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report