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The Bottom Line

PepsiCo CFO: The consumer is doing 'just fine' right now 'as far as we can tell'

Key Points
  • Recession fears have been dragging down the markets, but PepsiCo CFO Hugh Johnston says the consumer is still healthy.
  • "I can speak for our business, and what we see is a consumer that really likes our products and is buying them at an increasing rate, so as far as we can tell, the consumer is actually doing just fine right now," Johnston said.
  • U.S. consumer confidence in September had its biggest drop in nine months.
PepsiCo CFO Hugh Johnston on Q3 results
VIDEO5:1005:10
PepsiCo CFO Hugh Johnston on Q3 results

As investor concern about a coming recession drags down the stock market, the chief financial officer of PepsiCo said Thursday the beverage and snack giant is not seeing any slowdown in consumer spending in its realm.

"I can speak for our business, and what we see is a consumer that really likes our products and is buying them at an increasing rate, so as far as we can tell, the consumer is actually doing just fine right now," Johnston said on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street."

The company has been investing more in marketing and advertising this year in a bid to spark sales growth for some of its legacy brands like Gatorade.

The investments have paid off. Shares of Pepsi jumped 3.5% Thursday after the company reported third-quarter earnings and revenue that topped analysts' expectations.

Recession fears, triggered by weakening macroeconomic growth, contracting factory activity in the U.S. and trade tensions, dragged down the broader market on Tuesday and Wednesday. U.S. consumer confidence in September had its biggest drop in nine months as the trade war between the United States and China escalated.

Pepsi's stock, which has a market value of $191 billion, is up 24% this year. Rival Coca-Cola, which has a market value of $228 billion, is up 12%.

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