National Beverage Corp. vs Boston Beer Company Inc — how do they compare? National Beverage Corp. trades at $31.77 (market cap $2.89B), while Boston Beer Company Inc trades at $175.15 (market cap $1.77B). The key difference: National Beverage Corp. is the larger of the two by market cap. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| FIZZ | SAM | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $2.89B | $1.77B |
Sector | Consumer Cyclical | Consumer Staples |
52-Week High | $47.69 | $260.05 |
52-Week Low | $30.85 | $161.08 |
Enterprise Value | $2.60B | $1.64B |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
FIZZ trades at $31.47, up 1.78% today, but faces bearish technical signals with three consecutive earnings misses. The company maintains solid profitability with 15.56% net margins and 34.03% ROE, though revenue growth has stalled at $1.2B annually. Recent news highlights a $3.25 special dividend announcement but also concerns about LaCroix brand decline and muted growth prospects.
The outlook remains cautious with analyst sentiment skewed bearish (50% sell ratings) and technical indicators pointing downward. While the dividend provides shareholder return, fundamental challenges including competitive pressures and stagnant revenue create headwinds for meaningful price appreciation in the near term.
Boston Beer Company (SAM) trades at $173.89, up 3.04% on the day, with a bearish technical signal and mixed fundamentals. The stock shows a P/E of 22.66 and P/S of 0.94, with recent earnings beating expectations in Q3 and Q4 2025 but missing in Q1 2026. Operating cash flow remains positive at $270M for 2025, though net income margin turned negative to -3.15% in 2026 projections. Analyst consensus is 'Hold' with a $213.50 price target, representing 22.8% upside potential.
The outlook presents a mixed picture: valuation appears reasonable with solid cash generation, but profitability concerns and bearish technicals create headwinds. Key opportunities include continued 'Beyond Beer' expansion and cost-saving initiatives, while risks involve volume pressure on key brands and execution challenges in a competitive beverage market.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
National Beverage Corp is one of the top 10 non-alcoholic beverage companies in the U.S. Its portfolio skews toward functional drinks (that is those purporting to offer health benefits) and is anchored by the popular LaCroix sparkling water trademark. Other offerings include Rip It energy drinks, Everfresh juices, and soda brands like Shasta and Faygo. The firm controls most of its production and distribution apparatus, with very little outsourcing. In terms of go-to-market, it uses warehouse distribution for big-box retailers, direct-store-delivery for convenience stores and other small outlets, and food-service distributors for the food-service channel (schools, hospitals, restaurants). It is controlled by chairman and CEO Nick Caporella, who owns over 73% of the common stock.
Read more on FIZZ →Boston Beer is a leader in U.S. high-end malt beverages and adjacent categories, with strong positions in craft beer, hard cider, and hard seltzer. The firm sells an array of flavor variants and package sizes, predominantly centered around four priority brands: Samuel Adams, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Truly Hard Seltzer. Its drinks are produced in both company-owned breweries as well as through third-party contract arrangements, and while the company primarily goes to market through independent wholesalers (as mandated by law), it operates a fairly large salesforce to induce demand across the value chain (distributors, retailers, and drinkers). The preponderance of revenue is generated domestically.
Read more on SAM →