Best Stock to Buy Right Now: Constellation Brands vs. PepsiCo

Group 1 - Constellation Brands and PepsiCo are considered stable blue chip stocks for conservative investors, with Constellation being a major producer of alcoholic beverages and PepsiCo a leading beverage maker with strong packaged food brands [1] - Over the past two years, Constellation's stock has dropped over 40%, while PepsiCo's stock has decreased by 10%, contrasting with the S&P 500's rally of more than 40% during the same period [2] - Constellation faces significant challenges, including a decline in beer consumption among younger Americans and reduced spending from Hispanic consumers, which has negatively impacted its revenue [5][6] Group 2 - For fiscal 2026, Constellation anticipates a decline in beer sales by 2%-4%, a drop in wine and spirits sales by 17%-20%, and an overall organic sales dip of 4%-6%, with analysts projecting an 11% revenue decline and a 4% drop in adjusted EPS [7] - Analysts expect revenue to remain flat for fiscal 2027, but adjusted EPS may rise by 8% as the company restructures its weaker business segments [8] - Constellation's stock is currently priced at $140, which may appear cheap at ten times next year's earnings, and it offers a forward dividend yield of 2.9%, but a higher valuation is unlikely until the beer business stabilizes [8]