KO vs. PEP: Coca-Cola vs. PepsiCo Stock Comparison

August 2, 2026

How do Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP) are both classified in the Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages sub-industry within the broader Beverages industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Profile Item	KO	PEP
Name	The Coca-Cola Company	PepsiCo, Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Food, Beverage & Tobacco	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Beverages	Beverages
GICS Sub-Industry	Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages	Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages
Market Capitalization	376.86 billion USD	190.64 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

PEP

GSPC

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
Total Return (1Y)	32.67%	5.20%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	15.60%	-6.15%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	12.23%	0.82%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

PEP

GSPC

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	18.65%	21.38%
Beta (5Y)	0.34	0.35
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-17.27%	-30.32%
Avg. Volume (3M)	17.55M	8.61M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

KO and PEP are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.54	0.05
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.61	0.08

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Coca-Cola (KO) at 42.05% and PepsiCo (PEP) at 51.51% turn shareholders’ equity into profit at rates above their industry benchmark ranges for ROE. That is a strong capital-efficiency signal, though leverage and the equity base still matter.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

42.05%

KO: 42.05%
Max: 34.02%
Q3: 18.13%
Median: 12.78%
Q1: 3.83%
Min: -12.58%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

51.51%

PEP: 51.51%
Max: 34.02%
Q3: 18.13%
Median: 12.78%
Q1: 3.83%
Min: -12.58%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their ROE against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.56% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of PepsiCo (PEP) at 10.79%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.56%

KO: 28.56%
Max: 28.56%
Q3: 12.23%
Median: 6.11%
Q1: 1.10%
Min: -14.28%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

10.79%

Max: 28.56%
Q3: 12.23%
PEP: 10.79%
Median: 6.11%
Q1: 1.10%
Min: -14.28%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 34.90% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of PepsiCo (PEP) at 16.84%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

34.90%

Max: 35.93%
KO: 34.90%
Q3: 18.20%
Median: 11.47%
Q1: 3.72%
Min: -11.04%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

16.84%

Max: 35.93%
Q3: 18.20%
PEP: 16.84%
Median: 11.47%
Q1: 3.72%
Min: -11.04%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
ROE (TTM)	42.05%	51.51%
ROA (TTM)	9.40%	8.93%
Net Margin (TTM)	28.56%	10.79%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.90%	16.84%
Gross Margin (TTM)	61.89%	54.17%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.87% and PepsiCo (PEP) at 2.25% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Coca-Cola (KO) at 23.58% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while PepsiCo (PEP) at -13.67% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for KO.

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.87%	2.25%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.69%	2.83%
EPS Growth (YoY)	23.58%	-13.67%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.55%	-2.23%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.31 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while PepsiCo (PEP) at 0.93 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for PEP.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.31

Max: 4.39
Q3: 2.38
Median: 1.52
KO: 1.31
Q1: 0.98
Min: 0.43

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.93

Max: 4.39
Q3: 2.38
Median: 1.52
Q1: 0.98
PEP: 0.93
Min: 0.43

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both balance sheets lean debt-heavy versus peers, but PEP is more stretched: Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.16 sits in the higher-leverage quartile and PepsiCo (PEP) at 2.39 is above its industry benchmark range.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.16

Max: 2.21
KO: 1.16
Q3: 1.14
Median: 0.67
Q1: 0.34
Min: 0.00

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.39

PEP: 2.39
Max: 2.21
Q3: 1.14
Median: 0.67
Q1: 0.34
Min: 0.00

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.31	0.93
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.16	2.39
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.64	2.25

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

PepsiCo (PEP) at 4.10% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 2.35% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, PEP the richer one.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.35%

Max: 9.31%
Q3: 4.04%
Median: 2.62%
KO: 2.35%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

4.10%

Max: 9.31%
PEP: 4.10%
Q3: 4.04%
Median: 2.62%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Coca-Cola (KO) at 62.46% and PepsiCo (PEP) at 75.33% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

62.46%

Max: 169.01%
Q3: 83.66%
KO: 62.46%
Median: 44.62%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

75.33%

Max: 169.01%
Q3: 83.66%
PEP: 75.33%
Median: 44.62%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.35%	4.10%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	62.46%	75.33%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Coca-Cola (KO) at 26.30 and PepsiCo (PEP) at 18.29 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

26.30

Max: 46.56
Q3: 27.86
KO: 26.30
Median: 18.52
Q1: 12.82
Min: 5.78

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.29

Max: 46.56
Q3: 27.86
Median: 18.52
PEP: 18.29
Q1: 12.82
Min: 5.78

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

PepsiCo (PEP) at 1.97 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Coca-Cola (KO) at 7.52 clears its benchmark range — KO looks notably rich on sales.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

7.52

KO: 7.52
Max: 5.08
Q3: 2.44
Median: 0.99
Q1: 0.56
Min: 0.00

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.97

Max: 5.08
Q3: 2.44
PEP: 1.97
Median: 0.99
Q1: 0.56
Min: 0.00

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Measured against book value, both Coca-Cola (KO) at 10.43 and PepsiCo (PEP) at 8.63 look expensive — each P/B ratio sits above its industry’s benchmark range.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

10.43

KO: 10.43
Max: 5.99
Q3: 3.42
Median: 1.74
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.00

PEP

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

8.63

PEP: 8.63
Max: 5.99
Q3: 3.42
Median: 1.74
Q1: 1.00
Min: 0.00

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. PepsiCo (PEP): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP)
Metric	KO	PEP
P/E Ratio (TTM)	26.30	18.29
P/S Ratio (TTM)	7.52	1.97
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	10.43	8.63
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.38%	4.11%