Carlsberg AS (CABGY) could be a solid addition to your portfolio given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). This rating change essentially reflects an upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices.The sole determinant of the Zacks rating is a company's changing earnings picture. The Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years is tracked by the sys ...

PepsiCo is launching its prebiotic soda brand Poppi in the UK next week. The company, which bought the US brand last year for $1.95bn, has struck an initial, exclusive listing with Tesco, the UK's largest grocer. PepsiCo is selling Poppi in 330ml cans and in four-packs. Five flavours will be on offer: Strawberry Lemon, Orange, Raspberry Rose, Lemon Lime and Wild Berry. The recommended price points will be £2.59 ($3.50) for a 330ml can and £7.79 for the four-pack. The 'gut-friendly' soft drinks on sale ...

Core Viewpoint - Carlsberg Group reported a revenue of 89.095 billion Danish Krone (approximately 97.7 billion RMB) for 2025, marking an 18.78% year-on-year growth, with adjusted operating profit increasing by 22.65% [1][2] Group 1: Financial Performance - Carlsberg's Chinese operations contributed 14.722 billion RMB, reflecting a 0.53% year-on-year growth, with net profit reaching 1.231 billion RMB, up by 10.43% [1][2] - The overall revenue for the reporting period was 1,472,187.11 million RMB, with a net profit attributable to shareholders of 123,089.71 million RMB [2] Group 2: Market Strategy - Carlsberg's growth in China is attributed to three main factors: strong growth in major cities, performance in emerging channels like O2O and e-commerce, and the introduction of 1-liter packaging [3][6][10] - The company plans to focus on deepening its market presence in existing cities rather than expanding into new ones, aiming to increase market share in cities with less than 5% share to 7-8% and in cities with 15-20% share to around 30% [5][6] Group 3: Product Innovation - Carlsberg is enhancing its 1-liter product offerings, which are designed for social sharing and feature premium packaging to stand out on shelves [10][11] - The company plans to launch over ten new 1-liter beer products in 2025, including various craft beers [11] Group 4: Competitive Landscape - Carlsberg's strategy includes a focus on high-end products and leveraging partnerships with platforms like Meituan to penetrate the fine dining market [10][24] - The company has established a robust product matrix, including local brands like Wusu and international brands such as Kronenbourg 1664, which is facing challenges in the ultra-premium segment [16][22][23] Group 5: Future Outlook - Carlsberg maintains a cautiously optimistic outlook for its Chinese operations in 2026, expecting to sustain growth despite a stabilizing market [29][30] - The company emphasizes that its beverage business is designed to complement its beer operations, providing alternatives for consumers who choose not to drink alcohol [27][28]

February 23, 2026 01:41 PM GMT China/Hong Kong Consumer | Asia Pacific Post-CNY F&B and Gold & Jewelry Channel Check Takeaways The call with a multi-categories distributor reflects improvement in demand in this CNY holiday season, which is in line with market expectation and our previous pre-CNY channel checks. Key Takeaways Liquor - Moutai and WLY saw growth YTD in the distributor's regions as lower pricing drove good volume. They have completed their Feitian Moutai orders for 1Q (40% of annual budget). La ...

Core Insights - Tilray Brands has entered a five-year agreement to brew, sell, and distribute Carlsberg brands in the US, with an option for automatic renewal for another five years based on performance criteria [1][2] Group 1: Partnership Details - The partnership aims to leverage Carlsberg's global brand recognition and brewing heritage alongside Tilray's operational scale and quality standards in the US market [2][3] - Carlsberg currently has a minimal presence in the US, accounting for less than 0.1% of its global revenue, but this partnership is expected to facilitate local production and growth [3] Group 2: Strategic Implications - The collaboration is seen as a strategic move to enhance Carlsberg's presence in the premium European segment and drive long-term growth in the US beer market [2][3] - Tilray has positioned itself as a significant player in the US beer market, becoming the fourth largest brewer after acquiring several craft beer brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev and Molson Coors [3]

February 18, 2026 Danish brewing giant Carlsberg A/S is considering an initial public offering (IPO) for its Indian business as it seeks to unlock shareholder value amid rising sales and strong market performance. Group CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen confirmed the company’s intent to explore a listing on Indian bourses but stressed that no final decision has been taken.Speaking during a recent investor call, Andersen acknowledged prolonged speculation around the plans and said the company is evaluating whether a ...

Core Viewpoint - Heineken NV is a significant player in the global brewing industry, maintaining a "Buy" rating from Citigroup with an increased price target of €93 from €88, indicating positive market sentiment [1][5]. Group 1: Stock Performance - The stock price of HEINY was $47.55 at the time of Citigroup's announcement, reflecting a 2.72% increase from its opening price of $43.60 [2][5]. - The stock has fluctuated between $47.15 and $47.63, with $47.63 being its highest point over the past year [2]. - Heineken's market capitalization is approximately $53.18 billion [2]. Group 2: Analyst Ratings - Heineken has received an average "Buy" rating from seven analysts, with two recommending holding, two suggesting buying, and three issuing a strong buy recommendation [3]. - Deutsche Bank reaffirmed its "buy" rating on January 6th, while UBS upgraded it to a "strong-buy" on October 27th [3]. - However, Oddo Bhf downgraded the stock to "neutral" on January 26th, and BNP Paribas Exane lowered its rating from "outperform" to "hold" on January 12th [4].

Core Insights - Heineken N.V. reported an adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of approximately $2.84 for the ADR, aligning with analyst estimates [1] - The company achieved a full-year revenue of €34.4 billion (approximately $40.94 billion USD) with a slight organic growth of 0.2% [2][3] Financial Performance - Net revenue increased by 1.6% to €28.9 billion (approximately $34.39 billion USD) [3] - Operating profit grew by 4.4% to €4.4 billion (approximately $5.24 billion USD), with an operating profit margin improvement of 41 basis points to 15.2% [3] - Net profit rose by 4.9% to €2.7 billion, with diluted EPS increasing by 3.6% to €4.78 (approximately $5.69 USD per ordinary share) [4] Volume and Pricing - Despite a total volume decline of 1.2%, Heineken's own volume grew by 2.7%, and global brands volume increased by 1.9% [4] - The net revenue per hectolitre rose by 3.8%, indicating strong pricing power [4] Market Position and Expenses - Heineken maintained or gained market share in over 60% of its markets, including more than 80% of priority growth markets [5] - Marketing and selling expenses accounted for 9.9% of net revenue [5] Cash Flow and Debt - The company's free operating cash flow stood at €2.6 billion (approximately $3.09 billion USD) [5] - Heineken's net debt to EBITDA ratio is 2.2x, indicating a healthy balance sheet [5] Valuation Metrics - The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is approximately 23.07, and the price-to-sales ratio is about 1.44 [6] - The enterprise value to sales ratio is around 1.94, while the enterprise value to operating cash flow ratio is approximately 7.59 [6] - Heineken's earnings yield is about 4.33%, with a current ratio of approximately 0.75 [6]

Core Insights - Heineken plans to cut between 5,000 and 6,000 roles over the next two years to enhance efficiency and productivity, targeting operating profit growth of 2% to 6% for the current year [1][2] - The company reported a 2.4% decline in total beer volumes for 2025, while adjusted operating profit increased by 4.4% [2] - The outlook for 2026 is below the usual range but aligns with market expectations and is consistent with peer Carlsberg [3] Workforce and Strategy - The job reductions represent about 7% of the workforce and are part of a broader strategy to achieve annual savings of €400 to €500 million (approximately $476 million to $600 million) [2][4] - The cuts are influenced by advancements in AI and digitization, which are integral to the EverGreen 2030 strategy, with around 3,000 roles transitioning to business services [4] - The EverGreen 2030 strategy emphasizes three core areas: accelerating growth, increasing productivity, and ensuring future readiness [5] Leadership Transition - Outgoing CEO Dolf van den Brink will step down in May after six years, and the company is currently in search of a successor [5]

Core Insights - PepsiCo, Inc. reported strong fourth-quarter 2025 results with revenues and earnings per share (EPS) exceeding expectations and showing year-over-year improvement [1][3] - The company experienced accelerated net revenue growth, demonstrating its ability to adapt in a challenging environment [1] Financial Performance - PepsiCo's fourth-quarter core EPS was $2.26, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.24 and reflecting a 15.3% year-over-year increase [3] - Reported EPS was $1.85, marking a 68% year-over-year surge in the fourth quarter [3] - Net revenues reached $29.34 billion, a 5.6% increase year over year, slightly above the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $29 billion [7] - Organic revenue growth was 2.1% year over year, driven by a 4.5% increase in effective net pricing, despite a 2% decline in organic volume [7] Segment Performance - Revenue growth was observed across all segments, with notable increases in EMEA (12%), LatAm Foods (11%), and PBNA (4%) [12] - Organic revenues improved in most segments, except for PFNA, which saw a 1% decline [13] Operational Efficiency - Reported operating income rose 58% year over year to $3.6 billion, while core operating income increased 17.7% to $4.1 billion [10] - The operating margin expanded significantly to 12.1% from 8.1% in the previous year [10] Future Outlook - For 2026, PepsiCo anticipates organic revenue growth of 2-4%, with a focus on innovation and productivity to enhance competitiveness [20] - The company expects core constant-currency EPS to increase by 4-6%, with core EPS growth projected at 5-7% [21] - Capital spending is expected to remain below 5% of net revenues, with a target free cash flow conversion ratio of at least 80% [22] Shareholder Returns - PepsiCo announced a 4% increase in its annualized dividend to $5.92 per share, marking the 54th consecutive year of dividend growth [15] - The company plans to return a total of $8.9 billion to shareholders in 2026, including $7.9 billion in dividends and $1 billion in share repurchases [23]