Financial Accounting Concepts: Pepsico, Inc. and the Coca Cola Company

     PepsiCo. Incorporated and The Coca-Cola Company are the two largest and oldest archrivals in the carbonated soft drink (CSD) industry. Coca-Cola was invented and first marketed in 1886, followed by Pepsi Cola in 1898. Coca-Cola was named after the coca leaves and kola nuts John Pemberton used to make it, and Pepsi Cola after the beneficial effects its creator, Caleb Bradham, claimed it had on dyspepsia. The rivalry between the soda giants, also known as the "Cola Wars", began in the 1960’s when Coca-Cola's dominance was being increasingly challenged by Pepsi Cola. The competitive environment between the rivals was intense and well-publicized, forcing both companies to continuously establish and

This is a financial comparison between Pepsi and Coca Cola in terms of company liquidity, solvency, asset management, profitability, and valuation between the years 2008 and 2009 respectively.

The analysis of a company's financial statements helps in the determination of both the weaknesses and strengths of the concerned entity. Further, such an analysis helps in the determination of the future viability of firms. There are a wide range of techniques utilized in the analysis of financial statements. In that regard, it is important to note that the relevance of a horizontal, vertical as well as ratio analysis of a company's financial statements cannot be overstated. This is more so the case when it comes to the interpretation of the various dollar amounts presented in both the balance sheet and the income statement. In this text, I carry out a horizontal, vertical as well as ratio analysis of both The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, Inc. The analysis' results will be critical in the evaluation of each company's performance. Findings will be used as a basis for recommendations on how each company can improve its financial status.

Coca Cola and Pepsi are the brands with the highest brand equities. Both, Coca Cola and Pepsi have gone through the highs and lows of their business to reach that position. Coca Cola’s marketing has been changing over time with more and more products being added every day, while Pepsi has implemented several smart marketing strategies to improve its turnover and profits. So, let’s see what were the marketing strategies implemented by Coca Cola and Pepsi.

The argument is which taste better, and is more appealing to the average person. A general study was done where they blind folded people, and put both drinks in front of them. Majority of the people surveyed, agreed they liked Pepsi more when not knowing which was what. Even though majority of them originally said they prefer Coca-Cola over Pepsi. Coca-Cola has a very secret ingredient called “7x” this is most likely the key factor in its goodness. Once before Coca-Cola used to contain more dangerous ingredients such as cocaine. They also use many simple ingredients such sugar, high fructose corn syrup, caffeine, cane sugar and other basic ingredients that most soft drinks have. Pepsi does not how ever have a secret ingredient, but they have high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and caffeine. It is practically the same as Coke just without the formula “7x”. Coca-Cola has a smoother taste and goes down easier then Pepsi, making Coca-Cola more favorable. Pepsi is also a little more sweeter and not as carbonated.

The rivalry between coke and Pepsi is legendary and not just only product development and occasionally get personal collusions which sometimes resonate their marketing and promotional activates.

Coca-Cola is a leading beverage industry in the United States and many other countries in the world. PepsiCo is also a leading worldwide beverage company, but they are also the parent company of the Frito-Lay and Quaker Oats Companies. This makes PepsiCo a leader in the beverage, snack and cereal industries. As consumers, we have indulged in their products for many years. My personal preference has always been Pepsi over Coke, which is why I was very interested in conducting this analysis. Regardless of the results, I will always seek out a Diet Pepsi over a Diet Coke and so will many of my physician friends at Children’s Hospital who start their mornings with a Diet Pepsi. These personal preferences are what contributes to a company’s profits through net sales. However, the key performance measurement tools used are not based on sales alone. Calculating liquidity, solvency, and profitability ratios on a regular basis give us a better insight on the performance and overall health of a company.

As mention before, Coca-cola has 47.3 percent market share in the country’s cola market versus Pepsi which hold 44.5 percent. Coca-cola is also the brand known around the worlds, which are the largest producer and distributor of ark colas in the world. Even in the current monetary crisis, the company continues to expand and the financial position shows that Coca-cola has a strong cash position in compare to PepsiCo which the long term debt of PepsiCo is so high.

Pepsi –cola was started in the summer of 1898 in New Bern, North Carolina by Pharmacist Caleb Bradnham. PepsiCo Inc. started in 1965 with the merger of Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay. Since then, PepsiCo has continued to grow, adding new brands and product lines meeting the demands of the market. Throughout the years, they have strived and worked toward environmental sustainability. The ability to be financial stable gives PepsiCo the ability to give back and donate to those communities they are located in. PepsiCo’s mission to provide performance with purpose means delivering sustainable growth by investing in a healthier future for people and our planet. PepsiCo is continually increasing their triple bottom line.

Although PepsiCo’s current assets grew their current liabilities also grew, which leads me to believe that Coca-Cola is more poised to grow as a company in the future. I believe there is room for both of these companies to fix their financial status in these areas. PepsiCo needs to find a way to increase their current assets without raising their current liabilities and Coca-Cola need to find a way to increase their current assets while maintaining their steady drop in current liabilities.

In an industry dominated by two heavyweight contenders, Coke and Pepsi, in fact, between 1996 and 2004 per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks (CSD) remained between 52 to 54 gallons per year. Consumption grew by an average of 3% per year over the next three decades. Fueling this growth were the increasing availability of CSD, the introduction of diet and flavored varieties, and brand extensions. There is couple of reasons why the industry is so profitable such as market share, availability and diversity and brand name and world class marketing.

This research paper pinpoints the financial analysis of Pepsi Co, Inc., namely its profitability; liquidity; solvency and operating outcome with respect to its competitors, Coca-Cola Inc., and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. The upshot of Pepsi’s financial breakdown will assist the soda drink maker to improve its production approach and keep its flagship brand aggressive and competitive.

The calculation of ratios is the calculation technique for analyzing a company’s financial performance that divides or standardize one accounting measure by another economically relevant measure. Financial ratios can be used as a tool to demonstrate financial statement users for making valid comparisons of firm operating performance, over time for the same firm and between comparable companies. External investors are mostly interested in gaining insights about a firm’s profitability, asset management, liquidity, and solvency.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are fierce competitors and according to their financial statements they are both healthy companies. Therefore I would invest in Coca-Cola if I had to make the decision because it has higher income, a stronger long-term debt to networking capital ratio, steadily rising net income per common share, and a climbing and high solvency ratio. PepsiCo still shows healthy growth and outperforms Coca-Cola in many areas. I will conduct a financial analysis of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to identify their strengths and weaknesses, ultimately deciding which one is worth the investment.

“Coca-Cola brands are available to consumers throughout the world. Today they account for 1.7 billion servings of all beverages consumed worldwide daily. Coca-Cola has the edge in the market and because they are first to capitalize on new consumer trends. They continue to focus on continuous operating improvements, and they are ever changing to meet market demands. Pepsi Co satisfies the needs of its customers with the wide variety of products offered. They also have the different type of beverage or snack and its brands can substitute for each other. Coco-Cola and Pepsi Co is known as the top 100 most valuable brands in the world.