Yuck! If there's one drink I really dislike it's Dr. Pepper, and yet the company has managed to pick up market share against its largest rivals the past few years. Still, investors are concerned and shares of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS) received a lukewarm welcome when they began trading today (Wednesday) on the New York Stock Exchange. The company was spun off from under former owner Cadbury Schweppes.

The company has many other brands other than Dr. Pepper and the splashy Snapple, including 7UP, Canada Dry, Schweppes, Mott's, Sunkist and RC Cola. Last year the company's sales totaled $5.7 billion.

No doubt, though, Dr. Pepper will now face the stiff competition from Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), both of which are much larger and have wider portfolios, all on its own. With rising commodity costs, competing against such larger rivals isn't going to be a picnic.

To add to investors' concerns, the company hasn't issued any near-term earnings guidance, making many would-be buyers sit on the sidelines until the now-third-largest beverage company in the U.S. -- with its 15% market share -- has a quarter or two of financial results behind it. Despite giving longer term goals of increasing annual revenue by 3-5% and EPS by 7-9%, it seems that, with the current economic climate, investors want to see actual results before they dive in.

Also, it's no secret that with consumers getting more and more health-conscious, U.S. sales of traditional carbonated soft drinks have fallen in the last few years. The company will to have to adjust and extend its portfolio appropriately if it wants to survive. That, combined with a softening economy and rising costs can only entice me to hold off on this particular stock... at least for now.

DPS shares finished the day up 45 cents, or 1.8%, to $25.50.