Better growth prospects than peers, in part reflecting a product portfolio skewed more toward flavored carbonated drinks and other noncarbonated beverages, including the company's acquisition of Bai Brands LLC. Ongoing productivity initiatives should allow for above-average EBITDA margins of just over 25%. Limited geographic and product diversification, and much less scale than industry-leading peers. Stable and largely predictable cash flow ratios, including projected debt to EBITDA improving closer to 2.5x by 2018 after a slight increase in leverage following the Bai Brands acquisition. Strong free cash flow should permit the company to modestly repay postacquisition debt balances while repurchasing shares and paying dividends. The stable rating outlook on Dr Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) reflects S&P Global Ratings' expectations that DPS
