3 Reasons I Prefer PepsiCo Over B&G Foods

PepsiCo (PEP) has an excellent dividend history. It is a Dividend Aristocrat, a group of companies in the S&P 500 that have raised dividends for 25+ years. You can see the entire list of Dividend Aristocrats here. In five years, PepsiCo will become a Dividend King, a group of just 19 stocks that have 50+ years of annual dividend increases. To see the complete list of Dividend Kings, click here. PepsiCo will almost certainly get there.

However, PepsiCo’s dividend yield is currently 2.8%. Investors combing through food & beverage stocks in search of higher dividend payouts might come across B&G Foods (BGS). Based on its recent share price, B&G has a 4.4% dividend yield—much higher than PepsiCo.

Higher dividend yields are attractive, but dividend yield isn’t everything. There are other important factors to consider when deciding whether to invest in a company. This article will discuss three reasons to favor PepsiCo over B&G.

Reason #1: Brand Portfolio

PepsiCo is a global food and beverage company. PepsiCo has a large portfolio, stocked with category-leading brands. It has 22 brands that each generate $1 billion or more each year. Just a few of PepsiCo’s flagship billion-dollar brands include:

Pepsi

Mountain Dew

Gatorade

Quaker

Doritos

Cheetos

Fritos

Tostitos

Tropicana

Aquafina

Lipton

PepsiCo also has a large portfolio of healthier products, designed to capitalize on the health-and-wellness trends. For example, PepsiCo has the Sabra, Stacy’s, Kevita, and Naked brands. It has a diversified business model, both in terms of product mix, as well as geographic markets.

PEP 2016

Source: 2016 Annual Report, page 14

For its part, B&G is not as diversified. It predominantly manufactures shelf-stable, packaged foods, and it sells its products only in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Some of B&G’s products include Baker’s Joy, Cream of Wheat, Emeril’s, Green Giant, Mrs. Dash, Ortega, Pirate’s Booty, and many more. It has a few strong brands, such as Green Giant. But for the most part, B&G’s brands do not lead their respective product categories. In other words, you won’t find many of B&G’s brands occupying the eye-level shelves at your local grocery store.