NeuStar Inc

In 1Q17, Abbott Laboratories’ (ABT) Nutritional segment reported revenue of nearly $1.6 billion, a year-over-year (or YoY) fall of ~1%.

The US nonalcoholic beverage market comprises categories like carbonated soft drinks, ready-to-drink tea and coffee, bottled water, sports drinks, and energy drinks.

Hershey plans to position dark chocolate as a lifestyle choice in the US. It has thus begun promoting its dark chocolate brands for specific consumption.

Mead Johnson follows a strategy of investments in innovation, having expanded its liquids portfolio and rolled out its key specialty formulas across Asia.

The domestic non-sparkling bottled water category is the largest segment of bottled water in the US.

Hershey is the largest producer of chocolate in North America. It is a global leader in chocolate, sugar confectionery, and chocolate-related products.

JAB’s share in the global coffee market is estimated to reach approximately 20% with the addition of Keurig’s brands and products to its portfolio.

Hershey is the fastest-growing confectionery company in China, and Hershey expects China to become its second-largest market behind the US by 2017.

With the emergence of Jacobs Douwe Egberts, Keurig and other coffee producers will focus more on expanding their product portfolios. They’ll also focus on an international presence to capture the growing global demand for coffee.

Costco has seen traffic growth averaging 4.3% per year in the period between fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2015. In fiscal 1Q16, club traffic rose by 3.5% YoY.

Mondelez International (MDLZ), maker of Cadbury chocolates and Oreo cookies, is all set to report its fiscal 2Q16 earnings results on July 27 before the market opens.

The Vanguard European Stock Index Fund was the worst performer for 2015 among the ten funds in this review.

Kraft Heinz operates more than 200 brands in nearly 200 countries. Its eight iconic brands contribute more than $1 billion in sales apiece to total revenue.

The US accounted for 67% of Kraft Heinz’s fiscal 2014 pro forma sales, with Canada and Europe each contributing 10% of total sales.

Hershey had a total debt of $2.4 billion on its balance sheet in 2014. It had a total debt-to-equity ratio of 195% during the same period.

Hershey’s international segment contributes only ~30% of total revenues. Its goal is to increase international revenues to ~50% of total revenues by 2018.

Along with advertising, Hershey is focusing on cross-merchandising complimentary products like beverages and snacks, which should help expand consumption.

Hershey applies a micro-marketing concept to its businesses, which means that it markets certain products to small target audiences.

In its international business, Hershey is mainly focusing in emerging markets of Mexico, Brazil, India, and China.

Hershey is a leading player in the confectionery industry, which grew globally at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2009–2014, reaching $198.4 billion in 2014.

Nestle Waters North America is the market leader of the US bottled water industry.

Jacobs Douwe Egberts will be a leading player in the coffee industry with powerful brands like Jacobs, Maxwell House, and Pilão. It will have a strong presence in emerging countries like China.

According to Jacobs Douwe Egberts’s website, the company holds either the number-one or number-two position in coffee markets for more than 18 countries in Europe, Latin America, and Australia.