Hot Beverage Stocks To Own Right Now

Shares of Monster Beverage (NASDAQ: MNST  ) rose nearly 5% Monday after the company's board of directors approved a $200 million share repurchase program. As management stated recently, the company had already used every penny of the $250 million it authorized for share repurchases less than five months ago, so it looks like they were just itching to continue increasing shareholders' slice of the pie.

Even so, I suppose this latest authorization shouldn't have come as much of a surprise considering the company managed to spend more than $737 million in 2012, buying back shares at an average price of $54.47 per share -- or about 3% below yesterday's closing price.

Does it make sense?
Okay, we get it; the folks at Monster are trying to send investors a not-so-subtle message that they think their stock is undervalued.

Hot Beverage Stocks To Own Right Now: Central European Distribution Corp (CEDCQ)

Central European Distribution Corporation (CEDC), incorporated on September 4, 1997, operates primarily in the alcohol beverage industry. CEDC is a producer of vodka and is Central and Eastern Europe�� integrated spirit beverages business. During the year ended December 31, 2011, as measured by total volume, the Company produced and distributed approximately 33.2 million nine-liter cases . The Company�� business primarily involves the production and sale of its own spirit brands (principally vodka), and the importation on a basis of a range of spirits, wines and beers. Its primary operations are conducted in Poland and Russia. In addition the Company also has operations in Hungary and Ukraine. CEDC has six manufacturing facilities located in Poland and Russia. On February 7, 2011, the Company completed purchasing of the remaining stake of the Whitehall Group.

CEDC is an importer of spirits, wines and beers in Poland, Russia and Hungary. The Company maintains import contracts for a number of internationally recognized brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Campari, Jagermeister, Remy Martin Cognac, Corona, Budweiser (Budvar), E&J Gallo wines, Carlo Rossi wines, Sutter Home wines, Metaxa Brandy, Sierra Tequila, Teacher�� Whisky, Cinzano, Old Smuggler, Grant�� Whisky and Concha y Toro wines. In addition to its operations in Poland, Russia, and Hungary the Company has Ukraine and distribution agreements for its vodka brands in a number of key export markets including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the Baltics and the CIS for Green Mark, Zhuravli, Parliament and Zubrowka, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France for Zubrowka and many other Western European countries. In 2011, exports represented 11% of its sales by value.

Poland

In Poland, CEDC is the vodka producers with a brand portfolio that includes Absolwent, Zubrowka, Zubrowka Biala, Bols, Palace and Soplica brands, each of which it produces at its Polish distilleries. It produces and sells vodka! s primarily in three vodka sectors: premium, mainstream, and economy. The Company owns two production sites in Poland: one in Oborniki and one in Bialystok. In the Oborniki distillery, it produces the Bols and Soplica vodka brands, among other spirit brands. In Bialystok it produces Absolwent and Zubrowka. Zubrowka is also exported out of Poland to many markets around the world, including the United States, England, Japan and also France. In addition to the Absolwent and Zubrowka brands, in Bialystok it produces the Zubrowka Biala brand. The Company has rights to import and distribute approximately 70 brands of spirits, wine and beer into Poland. It also provides marketing support to the suppliers. During 2011, the Company sold approximately 10.7 million nine-liter cases of vodka, wine and spirits through its Polish business during 2011 including both its own produced vodka brands as well as its exclusive agency import brands. During 2011, the Company sold approximately 191 thousand nine-liter cases of Zubrowka outside of Poland. During 2011, the Company�� Polish operations accounted for 26.3% of its revenue.

Russia

CEDC produces Green Mark in Russia and the sub-premium vodkas in Russia, Parliament and Zhuravli. During 2011 the Company introduced new brands to the Russian market Talka, Sotka and Silver Blend. The Company also produces Yamskaya, the economy vodka in Russia, and premixed alcohol drinks, or long drinks. The Company also owns Whitehall, which holds the exclusive rights to the import of such leading premium wine and spirit brands as Concha y Toro, Paul Masson, Robert Mondavi, DeKuyper, Jose Cuervo and Label 5. In addition to these import activities, Whitehall has distribution centers in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Rostov as well as a wine and spirits retail network located in Moscow. During 2011, the Company�� Russian operations accounted for 70.2% of its revenue. During 2011,the Company produced and sold approximately 16.6 million nine-liter cases of vodka th! rough its! Russian business in the main vodka segments in Russia: premium, sub-premium, mainstream, economy and cheap. In addition it produced and sold approximately 2.8 million nine-liter cases of long drinks.

Hungary

The Company sells Royal Vodka in Hungary through its Bols Hungary subsidiary. The imported brands to Hungary include Bols Vodka, Zubrowka, Royal Vodka, Campari, Cinzano, Jaegermeister, Bols Liqueurs, Cointreau, Carolans, Galliano, Irish Mist, Jose Cuervo, Calvados Boulard, Remy Martin, Metaxa, St Remy, Grant��, Glenfiddich, Tullamore Dew and Old Smuggler.

Hot Beverage Stocks To Own Right Now: Pepsico Inc.(PEP)

PepsiCo, Inc. engages in the manufacture, marketing, and sale of foods, snacks, and carbonated and non-carbonated beverages worldwide. The company operates in four divisions: PepsiCo Americas Foods (PAF); PepsiCo Americas Beverages (PAB); PepsiCo Europe; and PepsiCo Asia, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA). The PAF division offers Lay?s and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips and dips, Cheetos cheese flavored snacks, Fritos corn chips, Quaker Chewy granola bars, and SunChips multigrain snacks in North America; Quaker oatmeal, Aunt Jemima mixes and syrups, Cap?n Crunch cereal, Quaker grits, and Life cereal, as well as Rice-A-Roni, Pasta Roni, and Near East side dishes in North America; and various snack foods under Doritos, Marias Gamesa, Cheetos, Ruffles, Emperador, Saladitas, Sabritas, and Lay?s brands in Latin America. The PAB division provides carbonated soft drinks, beverage concentrates, fountain syrups, and finished goods under Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7UP, Tropicana Pure Premium, Electropura, Sierra Mist, Epura, and Mirinda brands; ready-to-drink tea, coffee, and water products through joint ventures with Unilever and Starbucks; and sells concentrate to authorized bottlers, and branded finished goods directly to independent distributors and retailers. This division also manufactures third-party brands, such as Dr Pepper, Crush, Rock Star, and Muscle Milk. The PepsiCo Europe division offers Frito Lay Snacks, Pepsi-Cola beverages, Gatorade sports drinks, Tropicana juices, and Quaker foods in Europe. The AMEA division provides snack food under the Lay?s, Kurkure, Chipsy, Doritos, Smith?s, Cheetos, Red Rock Deli, and Ruffles brands; Quaker-brand cereals and snacks; and beverage concentrates, fountain syrups, and finished goods under the Pepsi, Mirinda, 7UP, and Mountain Dew brands. PepsiCo, Inc. was founded in 1898 and is headquartered in Purchase, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By JON C. OGG]

  Pepsico, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) was most recently at $64.67 and the analyst community price target is $76.67.  Investors get a 3.2% dividend here and its shares are down 10% from its 52-week high. The price to book value is 4 and its return on equity is about 28%.  S&P has an “A” rating its local long-term system.  Pepsi is often considered to be more like Coca-Cola, but its snack food business gives it at least some of the same aspects of Kraft.  CEO Indra Nooyi has been performing well and growing its international operations.  We would not expect for Pepsi to break itself up.
  

Best Cheap Companies To Invest In Right Now: Fomento Economico Mexicano SAB de CV (FMX)

Fomento Economico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA), incorporated on May 30, 1936, is a holding company. The Company conducts its operations through principal holding companies, each of which it refers to as a principal sub-holding company. These companies are Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V. (Coca-Cola FEMSA), which engages in the production, distribution and marketing of soft drinks, and FEMSA Comercio, S.A. de C.V. (FEMSA Comercio), which operates convenience stores. The Company�� convenience store chain OXXO operated a total of 7,492 stores as of March 31, 2010. Compania Internacional de Bebidas, S.A. de C.V. (CIBSA) owns a 53.7% interest in Coca-Cola FEMSA. On April 30, 2010, FEMSA announced the closing of the transaction, pursuant to which FEMSA agreed to exchange 100% of its beer operations conducted by FEMSA Cerveza for a 20% economic interest in the Heineken Group. In February 2009, Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired with The Coca-Cola Company the Brisa bottled water business in Colombia from Bavaria, a subsidiary of SABMiller. Coca-Cola FEMSA acquired the production assets and the rights to distribute in the territory, and The Coca-Cola Company obtained the Brisa brand.

Coca-Cola FEMSA, S.A.B. de C.V.

Coca-Cola FEMSA is a bottler of Coca-Cola trademark beverages. Coca-Cola FEMSA operates in various territories, including Mexico, a substantial portion of central Mexico (including Mexico City and the states of Michoacan and Guanajuato) and southeast Mexico (including the Gulf region); Central America, including Guatemala (Guatemala City and surrounding areas), Nicaragua (nationwide), Costa Rica (nationwide) and Panama (nationwide); Colombia; Venezuela; Argentina, including Buenos Aires and surrounding areas, and Brazil, including the area of greater Sao Paulo, Campinas, Santos, the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, the state of Minas Gerais and part of the state of Goias.

Coca-Cola FEMSA produces, markets and distributes Coca-Cola trademark beverages, own brands and b! rands licensed from the Company. The Coca-Cola trademark beverages include sparkling beverages (colas and flavored sparkling beverages), water, and still beverages (including juice drinks, ready-to-drink teas and isotonics). Out of the more than 100 brands and line extensions of beverages sold and distributed by Coca-Cola FEMSA, its most important brand, Coca-Cola, together with its line extensions, Coca-Cola light, Coca-Cola Zero and Coca-Cola light caffeine free, accounted for 61.4% of total sales volume during the year ended December 31, 2009. Coca-Cola FEMSA�� next largest brands, Ciel (a water brand from Mexico), Fanta (and its line extensions), Sprite (and its line extensions), ValleFrut and Hit, accounted for 10.5%, 5.8%, 2.6%, 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively, of total sales volume in 2009. Coca-Cola FEMSA uses the term line extensions to refer to the different flavors in which it offers its brands.

Coca-Cola FEMSA produces, markets and distributes Coca-Cola trademark beverages in each of its territories in containers authorized by The Coca-Cola Company, which consist of a variety of returnable and non-returnable presentations in the form of glass bottles, cans and plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephtalate (PET). Coca-Cola FEMSA uses the term presentation to refer to the packaging unit in which it sells its products. Presentation sizes for its Coca-Cola trademark beverages range from a 6.5-ounce personal size to a 3-liter multiple serving size. For all of its products excluding water, Coca-Cola FEMSA considers a multiple serving size as equal toor larger than one liter. In addition, it sells some Coca-Cola trademark beverage syrups in containers designed for soda fountain use, which it refers to as fountain. It also sells bottled water products in bulk sizes, which refers to presentations equal to or larger than five liters, which have a much lower average price per unit case than its other beverage products.

In Mexico, Coca-Cola FEMSA�� product portfolio consis! ts of Coc! a-Cola trademark beverages, and includes Mundet trademark beverages licensed from FEMSA in some Mexican territories. Coca-Cola FEMSA�� product sales in Latincentro consist predominantly of Coca-Cola trademark beverages. Per capita consumption of its sparkling beverages products in Colombia and Central America was 92 and 146 eight-ounce servings, respectively, in 2009. Its product portfolio in Venezuela consists of Coca-Cola trademark beverages. Sparkling beverages per capita consumption of its products in Venezuela was 174 eight-ounce servings during 2009. Coca-Cola FEMSA�� product portfolio in Mercosur consists mainly of Coca-Cola trademark beverages, and the Kaiser beer brand in Brazil, which Coca-Cola FEMSA sells and distributes on behalf of FEMSA Cerveza. Sparkling beverages per capita consumption of its products in Brazil and Argentina was 214 and 359 eight-ounce servings, respectively, in 2009.

The Company competes with Pepsi Beverage Company, Grupo Embotelladores Unidos, S.A.B. de C.V., Grupo Jumex, Groupe Danone, Cadbury Schweppes, Big Cola, Consorcio AGA, S.A. de C.V., Postobon, Florida Ice and Farm Co. S.A., Cerveceria Nacional, S.A., Pepsi-Cola Venezuela, C.A., AmBev and Quilmes Industrial S.A.

FEMSA Comercio, S.A. de C.V.

FEMSA Comercio operates a chain of convenience stores in Mexico, under the trade name OXXO. OXXO stores are concentrated in the northern part of Mexico, but also have a presence in central Mexico and the Gulf coast. FEMSA Comercio is the largest single customer of FEMSA Cerveza and of the Coca-Cola system in Mexico. During 2009, a typical OXXO store carried 1,954 different store keeping units (SKUs) in 31 main product categories.

The Company competes with 7-Eleven, Super Extra, Super City, Circle-K and AM/PM.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jon Markman]

  Renowned trader, journalist and money manager Jon Markman finished one spot ahead of La Monica last year thanks to Hershey‘s (NYSE:HSY) 20% returns. This year, he’s trading in the sweets for emerging market pick Fomento Economico Mexicano (NYSE:FMX), often referred to asFemsa.

  While Markman thinks the U.S. will struggle with austerity in the coming months, he also believes that if we head just a little bit south, we will find one of the greatest potential growth profiles in the world: Mexico, where Femsa is based.

  “Femsa caters to more than 1.7 million retailers and 215 million consumers, and is the No. 1 beverage provider in every region that it operates in. The firm has grown revenues by 16% annually for the last 10 years,” he explains.

  In fact, last year, FMX tallied impressive 44% gains. On the next pullback, he says, it will be time to buy.

Hot Beverage Stocks To Own Right Now: Molson Coors Brewing Company(TAP)

Molson Coors Brewing Company brews, markets, sells, and distributes beer brands. It sells its products in Canada, under the Coors Light, Molson, Rickard's Red, Carling, Pilsner, Keystone Light, Creemore Springs, and Granville Island brands. The company also brews or distributes products under license from third parties, which include Heineken, Amstel Light, Murphy's, Asahi, Asahi Select, Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Chill, Milwaukee's Best, Milwaukee's Best Dry, and Foster's. In addition, it imports, distributes, and markets the Corona, Coronita, Negra Modelo, and Pacifico brands, through a joint venture agreement with Grupo Modelo. Further, the company sells various brands in the United States, which include Coors Light, Miller Lite, Coors Banquet, Miller Genuine Draft, MGD 64, Miller Chill, Sparks, Miller High Life, Miller High Life Light, Keystone Light, Icehouse, Mickey's, Milwaukee's Best, Milwaukee's Best Light, Old English 800, Blue Moon, Henry Weinhard 's, George Killian's Irish Red, Leinenkugel's, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell, Grolsch, Coors Non-Alcoholic, and Sharp's. Additionally, it sells various brands in the United Kingdom comprising Carling, C2, Coors Light, Worthington's, White Shield, Caffrey's, Kasteel Cru, and Blue Moon, as well as various regional ale brands. The company also sells the Grolsch brands through a joint venture with Royal Grolsch N.V. and the Cobra brands through a joint venture called Cobra Beer Partnership Ltd.; and distributes brands sold under license, including Corona, Coronita, Negra Modelo, Pacfico, Singha, and Magners Draught Cider. In addition, it markets and sells Zima, Si'hai, Coors Gold, and Coors Extra brands to various international markets. The company was formerly known as Adolph Coors Company and changed its name to Molson Coors Brewing Company as a result of its merger with Molson Inc. in February 2005. Molson Coors Brewing Company was founded in 1873 and is headquartere d in Denver, Colorado.