Financial Comparison Of Pepsico And Coca Cola

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.

An official financial analysis for a specific company needs two years of financial data from the company and from a competitor in the same industry. This financial analysis is between PepsiCo, Inc. and Coca-Cola. Pepsi and Coca-Cola dominate the beverage market worldwide. In addition to sodas, they also distribute a variety of water and energy drinks. Based on the analysis, the investor will be able to make a better investment choice.

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.

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.

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.

The history of Coca Cola began in 1886 when Dr. John S Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist created a tasty soft drink which could sell at soda fountains. Since then, Coca Cola grew to be a global brand and touched great heights. Today, it sells across 200 countries and is just as popular across all the markets and nations. The company today, owns or licenses and markets more than 500 non alcoholic beverage brands. The brand has only few major competitors in the global market. The daily servings of coca cola are estimated to be at 1.9 billion globally. (Coca-Colahellenic, n.d.) This is just another proof of the popularity of the brand which has a very large and diversified

Pepsi Co started in 1965 and became one of the world 's highest end user product businesses with a number of important and precious trademarks (Bongiorno, 1996, p 70).

Coca-Cola Company has realized significant growth since its establishment to become a global leader in the marketing, manufacturing, and distribution of syrup and soft drinks. Out of the four generic strategies, the company has followed the differentiation strategy to make its products unique in the market. Its interest is to maximize the market share through the development of the most innovative products and the establishment of effective strategies to influence the customer’s decisions. In such a way, the company has integrated various strategies to ensure that desirable results are attained in the market. Its strategic choices align with the differentiation strategy in an attempt to make its products unique and meet diverse market requirements. To reduce its weaknesses, the company should consider exploiting key opportunities in the market including venturing in the packaging of water, promotion of new brands, and launching of healthy products. In particular, the vision and mission statement of Coca-Cola seems to have reconfirmed and changed in this process of company’s strategic analysis.

PepsiCo’s corporate strategy had diversified, in 2008, the company into salty and sweet snacks, soft drinks, orange juice, bottled water, and ready-to-eat drink teas and coffees, purified and functional waters, isotonic beverages, hot and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, grain-based products, and breakfast condiments. Strategies that kept their brands at the top were tied to new product innovation, close relationships with distribution allies, international expansion, and strategic acquisitions. A new element of PepsiCo’s corporate strategy was product reformulations to make snack

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.

PepsiCo Inc.: The challenge of Pepsi (as an opponent to Coca-Cola) has never lost its fizz for

“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.

The three largest are: (1) Frito-Lay North America, (2) Frito-Lay International and (3) Gatorade/Tropicana. Pepsi’s major liabilities include: