Coca-Cola vs PepsiCo — Cost vs Performance Comparison

Cost vs Performance — Should you hold KO or switch to PEP?
KO — Sell · Quality D
PEP — Buy · Quality A+
💰 Income & Yield
MetricKOPEPAdvantage
Current Yield2.58%3.40%PEP
Annual Dividend$2.04$5.69
Income per $10,000 Invested$258 / yr$340 / yrPEP +32%
Yield vs 5Y Average2.58% vs 3.73%3.40% vs 3.51%PEP
Yield ZoneSELLBUYPEP

Quality & Reliability
MetricKOPEPAdvantage
Quality RatingDA+PEP
Consecutive Dividend Years64 years54 yearsKO
Dividend Increases (12Y)1111Draw
EPS Increases (12Y)5 of 126 of 12PEP
Institutional Holders661794PEP
Dividend Cuts (12Y)NoneNoneDraw

📊 Valuation — What You’re Paying For
MetricKOPEPAdvantage
P/E Ratio26.0x27.9xKO
EV/EBITDA23.2x15.0xPEP
Price-to-Book10.56x11.20xKO
Price-to-FCFN/A27.8xPEP

🔄 Cost of Switching (per $10,000 position)
Immediate Income Gain
+$82 / yr
$340 (PEP) vs $258 (KO) per $10k
Quality Upgrade
D → A+
Maximum possible improvement
Transaction Costs
~$0–20
Most brokers now commission-free
Tax Impact
Varies
Capital gains if KO is held at profit
KO Recovery Needed to Match PEP Yield
−31%
Price must fall to ~$54.70 for 3.73% avg yield
Dividend Streak Lost
−10 years
64 yrs (KO) → 54 yrs (PEP), both excellent

🏆 Overall Scorecard
CategoryKO WinsPEP WinsDraw
Income & Yield (5 metrics)041
Quality & Reliability (6 metrics)132
Valuation (4 metrics)220
TOTAL (15 metrics)393

See How This Compounds Over Time

Use our Compare Calculator to project how the yield, growth, and dividend differences between KO and PEP play out over 10, 20, or 30 years.

Try the Compare Calculator →

Bottom Line

PEP wins 9 out of 15 metrics vs KO’s 3. The only areas where KO leads are P/E ratio, price-to-book, and its longer dividend streak — all marginal advantages. PEP dominates on the metrics that matter most to dividend investors: higher current income (+32%), superior quality (A+ vs D), better enterprise valuation (EV/EBITDA 15x vs 23x), and a BUY signal vs SELL.

The primary cost of switching is the potential tax event on any KO capital gains. If KO is held at a loss or in a tax-advantaged account, the switch becomes even more compelling. The only reason to hold KO is a strong conviction that the price will decline ~31% to reach fair value — which would itself mean significant capital loss while waiting.

Want to Analyse Any Dividend Stock?

Get instant BUY / HOLD / SELL signals based on 10 years of dividend data.

Try Stock Analyzer Free

FluentBoost

Financial Educator

Financial educator and investor helping others achieve financial freedom through smart investing and mindset development.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top