fotofrog/E+ via Getty Images PepsiCo ( PEP ) delivered a strong start to 2026, reporting Q1 revenue of $19.4 billion, up 8.5% year-over-year, with organic sales rising 2.6% to beat consensus and non-GAAP EPS of $1.61 topping estimates by $0.06. The results were headlined by a 2% improvement in convenient foods volume, signaling that the company's affordability initiatives and brand restaging effor...
fotofrog/E+ via Getty Images PepsiCo ( PEP ) delivered a strong start to 2026, reporting Q1 revenue of $19.4 billion, up 8.5% year-over-year, with organic sales rising 2.6% to beat consensus and non-GAAP EPS of $1.61 topping estimates by $0.06. The results were headlined by a 2% improvement in convenient foods volume, signaling that the company's affordability initiatives and brand restaging effort, pledged back in December 2025, are beginning to bear fruit. In light of this, below is a list of the top 10 soft drinks and non-alcoholic beverages stocks arranged according to their profitability grade. The stocks were screened based on Seeking Alpha’s profitability ratings, with additional data including market capitalization and Quant ratings. The list is topped by The Coca-Cola Company ( KO ) and PepsiCo, Inc. ( PEP ), both earning A+ profitability grades. National Beverage Corp. ( FIZZ ) and Monster Beverage Corporation ( MNST ) follow with A grades, while Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC ( CCEP ) rounds out the top five with an A- grade. The remainder of the top 10 includes a mix of international bottlers and specialty beverage companies. Coca-Cola HBC AG ( CCHGY ) and Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. ( FMX ) both hold B+ grades, while The Vita Coco Company, Inc. ( COCO ), Arca Continental, S.A.B. de C.V. ( EMBVF ), and Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. ( KDP ) each carry B grades. The list spans a wide range of market capitalizations, from industry giants like The Coca-Cola Company ( KO ) at $324.15B to smaller players like The Vita Coco Company, Inc. ( COCO ) at $2.84B. The profitability grade is a component of Seeking Alpha’s quantitative rating system that evaluates a company’s ability to generate earnings and returns relative to its peers. This grade assesses key financial metrics including margin analysis (gross, operating, and net margins), return ratios (such as return on equity and return on assets), and overall efficiency indicators. Here is the list: The...
"It's Really Illiquid": Goldman COO Warns Retail About Private Credit And The "Perception Of Liquidity" Speaking at Semafor’s World Economy event in Washington, D.C., President and COO of Goldman Sachs John Waldron warned that some managers have oversold how easy it is to get money out—especially to retail investors, who’ve helped balloon the market into a $1.7 trillion behemoth just as the space ...
"It's Really Illiquid": Goldman COO Warns Retail About Private Credit And The "Perception Of Liquidity" Speaking at Semafor’s World Economy event in Washington, D.C., President and COO of Goldman Sachs John Waldron warned that some managers have oversold how easy it is to get money out—especially to retail investors, who’ve helped balloon the market into a $1.7 trillion behemoth just as the space faces growing scrutiny and tighter conditions, according to Semafor . “Not everybody has marketed their product as clearly as, certainly we would like to see with the clarity that this is really not a liquid product. It’s not semi-liquid. It’s really illiquid,” Waldron said. “ Those retail investors, I think, have the perception of more liquidity than is the reality.” That mismatch matters more now. Private credit has been under pressure lately—from higher rates to jittery investors suddenly remembering they might want their cash back. Semafor writes that Waldron isn’t predicting imminent trouble unless the broader economy cracks. “This is an economy that has been predicted to be in trouble for a long time and shows extraordinary resilience,” he said. “I still see that resilience.” He added, “This economy is much stronger than the narrative suggests.” He said recent earnings don’t show “any real evidence” of serious weakness, and for now, “confidence is still pretty good,” though prolonged geopolitical tensions—like the ongoing conflict involving Iran—could start to erode that. If oil spikes and key routes like the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted, “you’re going to start to see demand destruction,” he warned. The bigger watchpoint: liquidity. Retail investors now make up roughly a fifth of the U.S. private credit market, drawn in by lower minimums—but not necessarily easy exits. Many of these funds cap withdrawals at around 5% per period. “In situations where there’s a sense that there’s undercurrents of trouble in private credit, you could have more redemption pressure where...
Water, water everywhere, but…is too much going to artificial-intelligence data centers? With expected earnings growth and its recent valuation, shares could fetch about $470 in a year, up 19% from recent levels.
Water, water everywhere, but…is too much going to artificial-intelligence data centers? With expected earnings growth and its recent valuation, shares could fetch about $470 in a year, up 19% from recent levels.
The hatred the duchess inspires – like the mourning of her mother-in-law – reveals hidden aspects of British character and tells us something about public anxieties Whatever unhinged parasocial relationship the adoring public had with Diana, Princess of Wales, their relationship with the Duchess of Sussex is its shadowy reflection. For decades, Diana was the subject of public adoration that was lo...
The hatred the duchess inspires – like the mourning of her mother-in-law – reveals hidden aspects of British character and tells us something about public anxieties Whatever unhinged parasocial relationship the adoring public had with Diana, Princess of Wales, their relationship with the Duchess of Sussex is its shadowy reflection. For decades, Diana was the subject of public adoration that was locked in a permanent hysterical register. Clive James, for example, captured the hyperbole when he described himself as a “besotted walk-on mesmerized by the trajectory of a burning angel” and Diana as like “the sun coming up; coming up giggling”. Continue reading...
Woot is making it more affordable to own a frozen drink machine. Ninja’s Slushi that has an 88-ounce container for storing your ice-cold creations is down to $184.99 at Woot , which is a whopping 47 percent off its list price. The Slushi requires no ice, just the liquid of your choosing and a little time for it to transform into a thick, yet pourable slurry that will stay frozen in the machine for...
Woot is making it more affordable to own a frozen drink machine. Ninja’s Slushi that has an 88-ounce container for storing your ice-cold creations is down to $184.99 at Woot , which is a whopping 47 percent off its list price. The Slushi requires no ice, just the liquid of your choosing and a little time for it to transform into a thick, yet pourable slurry that will stay frozen in the machine for up to 12 hours. Ninja Slushi 88-ounch frozen drink machine Where to Buy: $349.99 $184.99 at Woot $349.99 $299.99 at Amazon The Slushi is great for parties, since you can craft plenty of alcohol-infused (or non-alcoholic) delights with it. The machine can just as easily be used just to make the day-to-day easier, whipping up frozen OJ for the morning, or a frappe so you don’t need to make a trip to the cafe. The only disclaimer with this deal is that the purchase includes a 90-day limited warranty through Woot, not a full one-year warranty from the manufacturer that you’d get by buying it at a different retailer for full price. Some other Verge -approved deals for you Google recently announced a price hike for YouTube Premium that’s happening in June for current subscribers, or now for new sign-ups. To soften the blow for its loyal customers, the company is offering a promotion if you pay for the $9.99 Google One Premium 2TB tier. You’ll get an offer on this landing page to get 50 percent off the monthly cost of YouTube Premium for a year . Normally $15.99 for an individual subscription, it’s $7.99 per month for 12 months. Razer’s new Pro Type Ergo wireless ergonomic keyboard that it launched on March 31st is already $40 off when you add it to your cart at Amazon . Normally $189.99, you can see the price fall at checkout to $149.99. This is Razer’s first split-style keyboard that aims to alleviate hand or wrist pain that gamers (and non-gamers, if you’re just drawn to its RGB LEDs) might be experiencing from keyboards that have a traditional layout. This model includes a no...
Uranium Royalty Corp. agreed to buy Sweetwater Royalties for about $1.1 billion in a deal that would create a new US-listed company to capitalize on growing demand for nuclear fuel. The tie-up will give New York-based investment firm Orion Resource Partners LP , Sweetwater’s top shareholder, a 43% stake in the combined company, while the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan will hold about 16%, accordin...
Uranium Royalty Corp. agreed to buy Sweetwater Royalties for about $1.1 billion in a deal that would create a new US-listed company to capitalize on growing demand for nuclear fuel. The tie-up will give New York-based investment firm Orion Resource Partners LP , Sweetwater’s top shareholder, a 43% stake in the combined company, while the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan will hold about 16%, according to a statement Thursday. The new entity is expected to list on Nasdaq as Uranium Royalty Corp. Uranium Royalty shares rose as much as 7.1% in New York before erasing gains to trade below $4. Royalty firms, which provide upfront investment to companies in exchange for a percentage of revenue, are common in the mining industry but less prevalent in the nuclear fuel sector. The Sweetwater deal comes as governments and investors pour money into critical minerals like uranium that are seen as essential to electrification, data centers and energy security. Uranium markets in particular have tightened in recent years, with supply lagging demand as countries extend the life of nuclear reactors and plan new ones to meet climate goals and reduce dependence on foreign oil. The Trump administration has offered funding to nuclear fuel makers as part of an effort to restart domestic production and wean the US off of enriched Russian uranium. Read More: Nuclear Fuel Makers Get $2.7 Billion From US as Power Use Soars Sweetwater owns roughly 4.5 million mineral acres across Wyoming, Utah and Colorado, including a major position in trona, a key input for soda ash used in glass, chemicals and batteries. Uranium Royalty has a US portfolio of uranium royalties and streams, or financing agreements that give investors the right to buy a percentage of future production at a discount. Including debt, the acquisition implies an enterprise value of $1.9 billion for Sweetwater. The deal is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the third quarter.
Walter Bibikow/DigitalVision via Getty Images Tech stocks have been on fire lately. And I mean all of tech, from mega-caps to SMID caps, from semis to software. It's too early to say whether a new AI revolution is unfolding, one that benefits infrastructure names, enablers, and users, but there’s certainly a degree of optimism permeating what was once a beleaguered group. Is a new AI-renaissance m...
Walter Bibikow/DigitalVision via Getty Images Tech stocks have been on fire lately. And I mean all of tech, from mega-caps to SMID caps, from semis to software. It's too early to say whether a new AI revolution is unfolding, one that benefits infrastructure names, enablers, and users, but there’s certainly a degree of optimism permeating what was once a beleaguered group. Is a new AI-renaissance moment at hand? It's possible. For that, the Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF ( IVES ) is a solid proxy. The 30-stock portfolio has performed very well since I initiated coverage on it with a "B uy" rating last July. IVES has returned 17%, dividends included, compared to a 12% S&P 500 gain. After a tumultuous October-March stretch, I assert that a new rally is now underway in April and beyond. So, I keep with a "B uy" rating. IVES: Outperforming QQQ Since Inception Stockcharts.com According to the issuer , IVES seeks to capitalize on the rapid growth of artificial intelligence ( AI ) by investing in companies poised to lead the AI transformation. This fund offers investors exposure to a diversified portfolio of firms at the cutting edge of AI technology. IVES has grown substantially since last July. Its total assets under management is now just shy of $1 billion. It hasn’t taken off to the extent that Tom Lee’s Granny Shots ETF ( GRNY ) has, but it has accomplished its objectives, in my view. The annual expense ratio is what most investors may point at as to why IVES is not the ideal tech-revolution ETF. At 75 basis points, it’s upwards of 0.7 percentage points more than you’d pay for a straightforward broad index ETF (like Nasdaq 100 ETFs). So, I absolutely acknowledge the high cost. I’d like to see IVES dip into more up-and-coming tech themes, due to Dan Ives’ and Webush’s expertise in this area. I will keep monitoring that. As it stands, share-price momentum appears strong, given the recent snap-back rally. While it is not yet graded by Seeking Alpha’s quantitative scor...
Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR) , a leading builder of energy infrastructure, has seen its stock more than double to record highs over the past 12 months. Let's see why this oft-overlooked energy play is beating the market, and why it could turn a $10,000 investment into a lot more money over the long term. Quanta designs, builds, upgrades, and maintains electric transmission lines, substations, distr...
Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR) , a leading builder of energy infrastructure, has seen its stock more than double to record highs over the past 12 months. Let's see why this oft-overlooked energy play is beating the market, and why it could turn a $10,000 investment into a lot more money over the long term. Quanta designs, builds, upgrades, and maintains electric transmission lines, substations, distribution networks, oil and gas pipelines, renewable energy infrastructure, and data center power systems. It mainly helps utilities and energy companies expand their infrastructure. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading