PepsiCo beat Wall Street expectations for third-quarter revenue and profit on Thursday, as demand for its energy drinks, healthier sodas and snacks brands in key international markets remained steady. ...

Key Points Specialty beverages chain Dutch Bros is growing its store count by double digits annually. Now, the company is funding these expansion plans in-house, from its own positive cash flows. This should help it avoid diluting shareholder value, making it an intriguing growth stock to buy. 10 stocks we like better than Dutch Bros › There hardly ever seems to be a shortage of up-and-coming stocks offering blistering sales growth rates. However, the list of these growth stocks with positive cas ...

Company Overview - Black Rock Coffee Bar, Inc. (NASDAQ:BRCB) operates a chain of drive-thru coffee shops that serve specialty coffees, teas, smoothies, and energy drinks [2] Financial Performance - The company achieved a revenue growth of 21% last year, which accelerated to 24% in the first half of this year [1] - In the latest quarter, Black Rock Coffee reported a same-store sales growth of 10.9%, an increase of 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year [1] Market Position - Jim Cramer noted that while there is nothing inherently wrong with Black Rock Coffee, Dutch Bros presents a "better risk-reward" scenario [1] - Black Rock Coffee has 1.8 million rewards members, who account for 63% of their transactions, indicating strong customer loyalty [1]

Founded in 2008, Arizona-based Black Rock Coffee Bar joins a slew of companies that have made their debut in the stock exchanges amid a hot IPO market this year. The company is a drive-thru-focused coffee chain that serves premium coffee, iced beverages, and energy drinks through fast, customer-centric outlets. As of mid-2025, Black Rock operates 158 locations across seven U.S. states, mainly in the Western and Southwestern regions. Black Rock Coffee is seeking to offload about 16.9 million shares with th ...

Group 1: Zacks Premium and Style Scores Overview - Zacks Premium offers various tools for investors to enhance their stock market strategies, including daily updates on Zacks Rank and Industry Rank, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens [1] - The Zacks Style Scores are designed to help investors select stocks with the highest potential to outperform the market within a 30-day timeframe, assigning ratings from A to F based on value, growth, and momentum characteristics [2][6] Group 2: Style Scores Categories - The Value Score identifies attractive and discounted stocks using ratios like P/E, PEG, and Price/Sales, appealing to value investors [3] - The Growth Score focuses on a company's future prospects by analyzing projected and historical earnings, sales, and cash flow, catering to growth investors [4] - The Momentum Score helps investors capitalize on price trends by evaluating factors like one-week price changes and monthly earnings estimate changes [5] Group 3: VGM Score and Zacks Rank Integration - The VGM Score combines the three Style Scores to identify stocks with the best value, growth forecasts, and momentum, serving as a strong indicator alongside the Zacks Rank [6] - The Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock-rating model, utilizes earnings estimate revisions to simplify portfolio building, with 1 (Strong Buy) stocks achieving an average annual return of +23.75% since 1988, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 [7][8] Group 4: Stock Example - Monster Beverage Corporation - Monster Beverage Corporation, a marketer and distributor of energy drinks, holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) and a VGM Score of B [11] - The company has a Momentum Style Score of A, with shares increasing by 6.7% over the past four weeks, and seven analysts have raised their earnings estimates for fiscal 2025 [12] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Monster Beverage has risen by $0.04 to $1.90 per share, indicating a positive earnings surprise trend of +0.2% [12]

Product Recall - High Noon announced a recall of vodka seltzer drinks [1] - The drinks were mislabeled as Celsius energy drinks [1] - The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) reported the recall [1]

Company Strategy - Liquid Death 计划推出能量饮料产品线 [1] Branding - Liquid Death 以其朋克风格的品牌形象和罐装水而闻名 [1]

Core Insights - NRSInsights reported a 3.5% year-over-year increase in same-store sales for June 2025, following a 4.9% increase in May 2025 [5][11] - The NRS retail network includes approximately 36,600 active terminals across 31,700 independent retailers, primarily serving urban consumers [2][15] - The three-month rolling average of same-store sales increased by 4.6% compared to the same period last year, marking the highest growth in the past 12 months [11] Sales Performance - Same-store sales remained unchanged from May 2025, which had a 3.8% increase compared to April 2025 [6] - Units sold increased by 3.0% year-over-year, with a 0.7% increase compared to May 2025 [6] - Average prices for the top 500 items purchased rose by 2.7% year-over-year, a slight decrease from the 2.9% increase in May 2025 [6] Transaction Data - The number of baskets (transactions) per store was unchanged year-over-year, but increased by 0.6% compared to May 2025 [6] - NRS processed $2.1 billion in sales during June 2025, representing a 15% year-over-year increase across 140 million transactions [15] Market Trends - Categories such as modern oral nicotine, energy drinks, prepared cocktails, and chocolate showed significant growth, with chocolate alone increasing by 8% year-over-year [12] - Some traditionally seasonal categories, like sports drinks and frozen novelties, experienced growth compared to the previous month but declined compared to June 2024 [12] Comparative Analysis - Over the past twelve months, the U.S. Commerce Department's Advance Monthly Retail Trade data outpaced NRS's three-month moving average same-store sales by an average of 0.1% [9] - The NRSInsights data is based on approximately 220 million transactions processed through 22,600 stores for June 2025 comparisons [13]

Core Viewpoint - Coca-Cola is considered an evergreen investment due to its consistent growth and long-term reliability, despite challenges in the beverage market [1][12] Group 1: Company Strengths - Coca-Cola has diversified its product portfolio beyond soda to include bottled water, tea, fruit juices, sports drinks, energy drinks, coffee, and alcoholic beverages, which helps mitigate declining soda consumption [3] - The company's capital-light business model, focusing on selling concentrates and syrups while bottling partners handle production, allows for consistent profits and insulation from inflation and regional macro challenges [4] - From 1984 to 2024, Coca-Cola achieved a revenue and split-adjusted EPS CAGR of 5% and 6%, respectively, maintaining stable growth through five global recessions and being a Dividend King with 63 consecutive years of dividend increases [5] - Analysts project Coca-Cola's revenue and EPS to grow at a CAGR of 5% and 11% from 2024 to 2027, driven by expansion in emerging markets, wellness-oriented brands, strategic acquisitions, and AI-driven efficiencies [6][7] Group 2: Company Weaknesses - Growth is slowing in developed markets like the U.S. and Europe, where competition from healthier and private label beverages is increasing, necessitating greater investment in emerging markets [8] - Ongoing trade wars and elevated tariffs, particularly on aluminum for cans, could lead to price increases from bottlers, potentially impacting shipments and margins during economic downturns [9] - Compared to PepsiCo, Coca-Cola's valuation at 24 times forward earnings appears less attractive, especially as PepsiCo offers a higher forward dividend yield of 4.3% [10] - Coca-Cola has underperformed the S&P 500 over the past 40 years, which has generated a total return of 3,460%, indicating that Coca-Cola may not be the best performer during bull markets [11]

Summary of Zevia PBC (ZVIA) Conference Call - May 13, 2025 Company Overview - Zevia is an emerging nonalcoholic beverage company that went public about four years ago, offering a variety of zero sugar, zero calorie beverages sweetened with stevia, including soda, energy drinks, and organic tea [1][2] Key Industry Insights - The beverage industry is shifting towards "better for you" options, with Zevia positioned as a leader in this segment [8][32] - The company has expanded its distribution significantly, particularly with Walmart, moving from 800 to 4,300 stores, which is part of a broader trend in grocery towards healthier beverage options [8][9] Financial Performance - Q1 results showed top line growth that was down but better than market expectations, with guidance for FY 2025 maintained at modest growth of 2% to 5% [6][7] - The company expects a healthy acceleration in the second half of the year, projecting growth of about 7% [13] Growth Drivers - Key growth drivers include expanded distribution, increased shelf space, and new distribution channels such as Walgreens [12][13] - The introduction of new flavors, including Strawberry Lemon Burst, is expected to support growth [11][28] - The company is optimistic about achieving growth targets despite macroeconomic uncertainties [19] Risks and Challenges - The primary risk to guidance is macroeconomic conditions, including potential recessionary impacts [19] - The company has lost some club distribution but is working to regain it, which represents an upside opportunity [21][22] Strategic Initiatives - Zevia is focused on profitable growth, with a goal to become EBITDA profitable by the end of 2026 [29][30] - The company is investing in brand marketing, doubling its marketing spend in 2025 compared to 2023 [56][60] - A strong innovation pipeline is in place, with a focus on bringing new products to market more rapidly [40][41] Market Positioning - Zevia is positioned as an affordable option within the "better for you" beverage category, appealing to health-conscious consumers [33][34] - The company emphasizes its clean label and simple ingredient profile, which aligns with current consumer trends [31][32] Financial Metrics - Q1 gross margins reached a record 50.1%, with expectations for high 40s margins for the rest of the year, impacted by aluminum tariffs [68][70] - The company has achieved $15 million in annualized cost savings through productivity initiatives, ahead of initial expectations [74][76] Consumer Behavior - There is an expectation of resilience among health-conscious consumers, who view Zevia products as essential rather than discretionary [85][86] - The company anticipates benefiting from trade-down behavior within the "better for you" category [86] Investor Insights - Zevia's household penetration is currently in the single digits, indicating significant growth potential as consumer preferences shift towards healthier options [88] - The company believes it is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for clean label products, supported by its distribution and innovation strategies [89][90] Conclusion - Zevia is at a critical juncture with strong growth potential driven by strategic distribution expansion, innovative product offerings, and a commitment to brand marketing, all while navigating macroeconomic challenges [35][36][89]