Aluminium Dr Pepper cans leave the production line at Ball Corporation, Wakefield, Britain, October 18, 2019. REUTERS/Andrew Yates

(Reuters) -Keurig Dr Pepper lifted its forecast for annual sales on Monday and said it had raised about $7 billion to finance its purchase of Dutch coffee giant JDE Peet's, allaying some investor fears about mounting debt.

Shares of the beverage maker surged 9% in premarket trading on Monday following the upbeat forecast and investment by financial giants KKR and Apollo Global.

Keurig had announced the acquisition of JDE Peet's for about $18 billion in August, along with plans to split the merged entity's coffee operations and other beverage businesses into two publicly traded companies.

Of the $7 billion investment, $4 billion will go into a new K-Cup pod and single-serve manufacturing joint venture, Keurig said.

KKR and Apollo will also invest the remaining amount in the company and the eventual company with the beverage business through convertible preferred stock.

"Since the (deal) announcement, we have also carefully considered shareholder feedback and are responding with decisive actions, including new strategic investments to strengthen our balance sheet and a refreshed approach to leadership structure," Keurig Dr Pepper CEO Tim Cofer said.

Investors have raised concerns over the deal as it comes amid record high prices for global coffee, driven by droughts in top producers Brazil and Vietnam and following U.S. President Donald Trump's erratic tariff policies.

Keurig's board has also started a search for the future CEO of global coffee entity as CFO Sudhanshu Priyadarshi will no longer assume this future role, as previously disclosed, the company said.

The company now expects 2025 full-year net sales to grow in a high-single-digit, up from its earlier mid-single-digit range, while keeping its profit forecast unchanged.

Net sales in Keurig Dr Pepper's U.S. refreshment beverages segment rose 14.4% in the reported quarter, while U.S. coffee segment saw 1.5% increase.

Overall quarterly sales of $4.31 billion beat analysts' estimates of $4.15 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Its adjusted profit of 54 cents per share came in line with Wall Street estimates.

(Reporting by Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Leroy Leo)