Coca-Cola Stock Rises as Q4 Sales, Profit Top Estimates
Coca-Cola (
KO
) reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter results, sending shares of the world's biggest soft drink maker higher Tuesday.
The beverage giant reported $11.54 billion in revenue, above the $10.85 billion posted a year ago and the $10.77 billion Visible Alpha consensus. Adjusted
earnings per share (EPS)
of $0.55 beat last year's $0.49 and the $0.52 expectation.
Shares of Coca-Cola, which entered Tuesday up roughly 8% over the past year, rose nearly 4% shortly after markets opened.
Global Unit Case Volumes Grow Above Expectations
Last quarter, Coca-Cola shares lost ground as a
surprise drop in unit case volumes
offset better-than-expected results. Global unit case volumes grew better than expected at 2% in Q4, led by a 6% gain in the Asia Pacific region.
In its forward-looking projections, Coca-Cola said it expects sales and adjusted EPS to grow this year while also facing currency headwinds.
Coca-Cola's results come a week after rival PepsiCo (
PEP
) reported sales that fell short of estimates for a
third consecutive quarter
.
UPDATE—This article has been updated with the latest share price information and details from Coca-Cola's earnings report.