Late last week Dunkin' Brands Group (NASDAQ:DNKN), the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts, announced that it is rolling out ready-to-drink coffee products in U.S. stores in early 2017. Dunkin' has partnered with Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE:KO) to produce and distribute bottled versions of the company's coffee.
Following the news, shares of Dunkin' Brands Group traded higher hitting 52 week highs above $52 per share. Shares of the company are up by over 22% this year, while shares of competitor Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) are down over 10% in 2016. Dunkin' Brands Group is currently trading just a couple points shy of all-time highs hit back in the summer of 2015.
If you've followed my writing, you likely know that I am a huge supporter of Starbucks. I believe in the long term coffee thesis here in the United States and abroad. I've always leaned towards owning Starbucks, over Dunkin' Donuts, as the company has had global growth and more diversified streams of revenue including ready-to-drink.
