Stock Watch: National Beverage, Monster Shares Soar Despite Pandemic.
Coke Bottlers Fall.
LaCroix maker National Beverage turned in the top stock price performance so far this year among beverage companies tracked by BD. As of the Nov. 9 market close, National Beverage’s per-share stock price grew almost +60% as the company continued to right itself following a 2019 slide amid declining LaCroix sales and negative press. The share prices listed in the table below reflect President-Elect Joseph Biden’s apparent election victory over President Donald Trump, as well as this week’s announcement by Pfizer and Biontech that the companies may have developed a promising vaccine for COVID-19. Other top beverage performers this year include soon to be acquired Dunkin’ Brands, whose share price rose steadily since March as the company recovered from pandemic shutdowns. Starbucks, on the other hand, grew +9.1%, which was almost a percentage point less than the pace set by the S&P 500. Monster Beverage shares gained +28%. The rest of the beverage stocks tracked by BD rose less than the S&P 500 or declined. PepsiCo grew +1.3% while Coca-Cola and Keurig Dr Pepper declined.
COKE BOTTLERS DECLINE. Publicly traded Coca-Cola bottlers fared the worst among BD- tracked companies as they battled against lower margins and decreased sales in pandemic effected channels. US-traded shares of Coke Femsa and Coca-Cola European Partners declined, as did shares of US-based Coca-Cola Consolidated.
RETAILERS. Walgreens Boots Alliance posted the only decline (-32.5%) among retailer and wholesaler stocks tracked by BD. Among the rest, only Kroger and Sprouts Farmer’s Market grew less than the S&P 500. Besides United Natural Foods (UNFI), Amazon was the biggest gainer after the online retailer’s shares jumped +70% as locked-in consumers turned to the internet for shopping during the pandemic.
COKE BOTTLERS DECLINE. Publicly traded Coca-Cola bottlers fared the worst among BD- tracked companies as they battled against lower margins and decreased sales in pandemic effected channels. US-traded shares of Coke Femsa and Coca-Cola European Partners declined, as did shares of US-based Coca-Cola Consolidated.
RETAILERS. Walgreens Boots Alliance posted the only decline (-32.5%) among retailer and wholesaler stocks tracked by BD. Among the rest, only Kroger and Sprouts Farmer’s Market grew less than the S&P 500. Besides United Natural Foods (UNFI), Amazon was the biggest gainer after the online retailer’s shares jumped +70% as locked-in consumers turned to the internet for shopping during the pandemic.
