Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.
What: Shares of Keurig single-serve coffee machine and K-Cup maker Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR.DL) bolted higher by as much as 11% after announcing a successor to the CEO role when its current CEO retires.
So what: With current CEO Lawrence Blanford slated to retire by the end of 2013 or earlier if a replacement were found, Green Mountain today announced that Coca-Cola (KO 0.63%) executive Brian Kelley will become its next CEO. Kelley has been serving as Coca-Cola Refreshments' chief product supply officer for the past two years.
Now what: Now it's time for Kelley, who was in charge of a gigantic business segment for a multinational corporation, to bring his years of expertise in inventory management into play. Green Mountain's growth has been hampered by poor inventory management in recent years, and he appears to be a good fit for the job as CEO -- and investors seem to agree given today's pop. Green Mountain will need to continue to expand its relationships with Starbucks (SBUX 0.65%) and Dunkin' Brands (DNKN), while doing its best to fend off competitors who can now make their own version of the K-Cup. Kroger (KR 0.64%), for instance, is now making its own store-brand single-serve coffee cups that will work with the Keurig single-brew system. All told, I think the move makes sense, and I think investors are still not giving Green Mountain enough credit.
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