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SodaStream Sale Rumors Swirl Again: Starbucks Plays Suitor This Time

This article is more than 9 years old.

SodaStream's big invention is a carbonated tap you can go back to again and again. So maybe it shouldn't be a surprise when rumors recycle as much as the company's most loyal customers.

SodaStream shares spiked again on Wednesday after yet another acquisition rumor appeared in an Israeli business publication. This time, the Globes website reported the company is in talks with coffee giant Starbucks to sell a 10% stake.

The report comes just a week after a similar story was published in Israeli news daily Calcalist. That one mentioned PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group as other bidders, in addition to Starbucks. Other stories have come and gone in the Israeli press over the last year, including one that suggested Pepsi would buy SodaStream for $2 billion. Obviously, none of these predictions have come to pass yet.

But that doesn't mean Wall Street isn't hungrily anticipating some sort of move. Shares were up 10.7% at the close of Wednesday trading, following an 8% spike on last week's rumor. Starbucks stock was down 1% on the day.

In any case, the market is strong for Sodastream’s at-home soda maker. Coca-Cola bought a 10% stake in Keurig Green Mountain in February to develop its own competing machine. And it may be the right time to buy low on Sodastream — prior to Wednesday, shares were down nearly 19% year to date.

Read more about Sodastream in Forbes’ 2012 magazine story about the company.

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