Investments

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2023

Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]

Note 6. Investments

Marketable Securities

Our reduction in ownership in Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. (Nasdaq: "KDP") during the first quarter of 2023, to below 5% of the outstanding shares, resulted in a change of accounting for our KDP investment, from equity method investment accounting to accounting for equity interests with readily determinable fair values ("marketable securities") as we no longer have significant influence. These marketable securities are measured at fair value based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1).

On June 8, 2023, we sold 23 million shares of KDP, which reduced our ownership by 1.6%, from 3.2% to 1.6% of the total outstanding shares. We received proceeds of approximately $708 million.

On March 2, 2023, we sold 30 million shares of KDP, which reduced our ownership interest by 2.1%, from 5.3% to 3.2% of the total outstanding shares. We received proceeds of approximately $1.0 billion and recorded a pre-tax gain on equity method transactions of $493 million (or $366 million after tax) during the first quarter of 2023.

Pre-tax gains and losses for marketable securities are summarized below (in millions):


	Three Months Ended June 30, 2023		Six Months Ended June 30, 2023
	(in millions)
Loss/(gain) on marketable securities sold during the period	$	104	$	(293)
Unrealized loss/(gain) on equity securities held as of the end of the period	90		(300)
Dividend income	(5)		(14)
Total loss/(gain) on marketable securities	$	189	$	(607)

In the table above, loss/(gain) on marketable securities sold during the period reflects the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the equity securities at the beginning of the period or the date of the change of accounting for our investment in KDP, if later.

We reported marketable securities of $705 million as of June 30, 2023 in other current assets in the Company's Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

On July 13, 2023, we sold the remainder of our KDP investment, approximately 23 million shares, and received approximately $704 million in proceeds.

Equity Method Investments

Our equity method investments include, but are not limited to, our ownership interests in JDE Peet's (Euronext Amsterdam: "JDEP"), Dong Suh Foods Corporation and Dong Suh Oil & Fats Co. Ltd. Our ownership interests may change over time due to investee stock-based compensation arrangements, share issuances or other equity-related transactions. As of June 30, 2023, we owned 18.1%, 50.0% and 49.0%, respectively, of these companies' outstanding shares.

Our investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting totaled $3.2 billion as of June 30, 2023 and $4.9 billion as of December 31, 2022. The investment balance as of December 31, 2022 is inclusive of our investment in KDP. We recorded equity earnings of $71 million and cash dividends of zero in the three months ended June 30, 2023, and equity earnings of $98 million and cash dividends of $14 million in the three months ended June 30, 2022. We recorded equity earnings of $106 million and cash dividends of $102 million in the six months ended June 30, 2023 and equity earnings of $215 million and cash dividends of $121 million in the six months ended June 30, 2022.

Based on the quoted closing prices as of June 30, 2023, the fair value of our publicly-traded investment in JDEP was $2.6 billion, and there was no other than temporary impairment identified.

JDEP Transactions

On April 3, 2023, we sold approximately 7.7 million shares of JDEP, which reduced our ownership interest by 1.6%, from 19.7% to 18.1% of the total outstanding shares. We received cash proceeds of €198 million ($217 million) and recorded a loss of €18 million ($19 million) on this sale during the three months ended June 30, 2023. We continue to have board representation with two directors on JDEP's Board of Directors and have retained certain additional governance rights. As we continue to have significant influence, we continue to account for our investment in JDEP under the equity method.

On March 30, 2023, we issued options to sell shares of JDEP in tranches equivalent to approximately 7.7 million shares. These options are exercisable at their maturities which are between July 3, 2023 and September 29, 2023, with strike prices ranging from €26.10 to €28.71 per share. If all options issued on March 30, 2023 are exercised, our ownership interest will be reduced by an additional 1.6%.

On May 8, 2022, we sold approximately 18.6 million of our JDEP shares back to JDEP, which reduced our ownership interest by approximately 3%. We received cash proceeds of €500 million ($529 million) and recorded a loss of €8 million ($8 million) on this sale during the three months ended June 30, 2022.

In 2021, we issued €300 million exchangeable bonds, which are redeemable at maturity in September 2024 at their principal amount in cash or, at our option, through the delivery of an equivalent number of JDEP’s ordinary shares based on an initial exchange price of €35.40 and, as the case may be, an additional amount in cash. If all bonds were redeemed in exchange for JDEP's shares, this would represent approximately 8.5 million shares or approximately 10% of our equity interest in JDEP as of June 30, 2023. Refer to Note 9, Financial Instruments, for further details on this transaction.