Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo: Which Is the Better Income Stock?

Core Viewpoint - The article compares two "Dividend Kings," PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, highlighting their dividend growth and sustainability in the context of inflation and market conditions [2][4]. Dividend Growth Comparison - Coca-Cola has increased its dividend for 63 years, with a recent increase of 5.2%, while PepsiCo has raised its dividend for 53 years with a 5% increase [2]. - Since 2020, Coca-Cola's dividend rose from $0.41 to $0.51 per share, a 24.4% increase, which slightly lags behind the 25% inflation rate [5]. - In contrast, PepsiCo's dividend increased from $0.955 to $1.423 per share, representing a 49% increase, nearly double the inflation rate [7]. Dividend Sustainability - PepsiCo's payout ratio is 105%, indicating it may need to incur debt or sell assets to maintain current dividend levels [8]. - A more reliable measure of dividend sustainability is cash flow from operating activities, where PepsiCo generated $5.47 billion compared to Coca-Cola's $3.65 billion in the first nine months of 2025 [10]. - PepsiCo allocates only 36% of its cash flow to dividends, while Coca-Cola allocates 60%, suggesting stronger dividend growth potential for PepsiCo [12]. Yield Comparison - Currently, PepsiCo offers a dividend yield of 3.9%, compared to Coca-Cola's 2.9% [13]. - The expectation is that the yield gap will widen over time as PepsiCo is projected to grow its dividend at a faster rate [13].