The Coca-Cola Co's Arch-Rival Is Facing The Heat: Growth Score Plummets

Beverages giant Coca-Cola Co.’s (NYSE:KO) arch rival for decades is going through a rough patch, with its Growth score in Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings plummeting over the past week.The arch-rival in question is PepsiCo Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP), the company with several similar products, a global presence, and long-standing competition with Coca-Cola. In Benzinga Rankings, the Growth score is assessed based on a company’s historic revenue and earnings growth, alongside the pace of this growth. The score pays equal parts importance to both the long-term trend as well as immediate performance, such as the latest quarterly earnings report.Coca-Cola Holds FirmWhile Coca-Cola doesn’t fare all that well in Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, it fares well on Growth, scoring 69.28. It scores poorly on most other metrics such as Value, Momentum and Quality, while having an unfavorable price trend in the short, medium and long terms. In the face of substantial trade war, tariffs and geopolitical headwinds, the saw its operating margins surge to 34.1% during its recent second quarter results, up from 21.3% the prior year. In the face of mounting uncertainties, the stock is up 9.30% year-to-date. Click here for deeper insights on the stock, its famous rival, alongside its other peers and competitors.PepsiCo’s Growth FadesPepsiCo’s Growth score in Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings has plummeted from 59.29 to 36.53 within the span of a week, primarily driven by its tepid third-quarter performance last week.The company was hit by subdued consumption trends during the quarter, leading to a mixed performance, with a beat on earnings but a miss on revenue. Analysts expect the company to turn things around going forward, with a new pipeline of innovative products that are set to be launched over the next couple of quarters. PepsiCo’s shares score poorly in Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings across the board, but have a favorable price trend in the short, medium and long terms. Click here for deeper insights into the stock, its peers and competitors. Can Eastroc Become China’s Coca-Cola? Photo: Shutterstock