KO

The companies you own inside this consumer staples fund are collectively signaling stronger profits are on the way. The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) returned +9.4% over the past year, but the more telling signal for what comes next lies inside the fund itself. Among its largest holdings, companies making up 32% of the fund's total weight have recently raised their forward guidance for earnings, revenue, or cash flow. A Decidedly Positive Lean That figure is the key to understanding the fund's forward momentum. It stands in sharp contrast to the holdings that trimmed their outlook, which account for just 10.7% of the fund. The rest left their guidance unchanged. When you own an index fund, you own the collective trajectory of its companies, and right now, the weight of the evidence is pointing toward improving fundamentals. Who's Pulling the Weight? This positive tilt isn't abstract; it's driven by specific, heavyweight positions. The single biggest contributor was Walmart (WMT), which accounts for more than 10% of the fund and raised its EPS guidance by 8%. Other large holdings like Coca-Cola (KO), at 7.0% of the fund, also nudged their forecasts higher, showing the positive sentiment is not isolated to a single name. Of course, not every company is on the same path. The most significant downward revision came from Philip Morris International (PM). At 6.1% of the fund, it lowered its EPS guidance by 4%. But on balance, the positive revisions from companies like Walmart carry far more weight across the portfolio. A Signal That Can Lead the Price Why does this matter for you as an owner of XLP? A company’s own guidance is one of the earliest indicators of its future earnings power. When you see a broad-based tilt where the weight of companies raising their outlook is nearly three times the weight of those cutting it, it suggests the fund's underlying earnings momentum is strengthening. This kind of forward-looking check is important, as sometimes a fund's price can get ahead of its fundamentals. For an investor in XLP, this is the bottom line. You own a basket of companies that are, in aggregate, telling the market to expect better results ahead. While no signal is a guarantee, having the fund's own holdings guide their earnings higher provides a fundamental tailwind that a simple price chart or trailing valuation multiple doesn't...

US consumer staple companies likely faced another "tricky" quarter, with earnings growth seen impact

ATLANTA, July 15, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company today announced the election of a new company officer and the approval of the company’s regular quarterly dividend. Max Hyldebrandt, who began a new role June 4 as Senior Vice President, Head of Corporate Development, was elected as an officer of the company. He reports to President and Chief Financial Officer John Murphy. Hyldebrandt leads the company’s work in mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, partnerships, joint ventures and divestitures. Hyldebrandt joined the company in 1999 and most recently served as Vice President of Corporate Development. Hyldebrandt began his career as an auditor with KPMG in his native Denmark. He holds a degree from Copenhagen Business School. Quarterly Dividend The company today declared a regular quarterly dividend of 53 cents per common share, payable Oct. 1 to shareowners of record of the company as of the close of business Sept. 15. About The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our water, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Fuze Tea, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our juice, value-added dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and Santa Clara. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260715886497/en/ Contacts Investors and Analysts: Todd Beiger, koinvestorrelati...

PepsiCo management spent its latest earnings call defending its big bet on North American growth, and the answers revealed exactly where the strategy is under pressure. After significantly underperforming the market over the last year, PepsiCo (PEP) stock is facing a critical test. The company has spent heavily on an “affordability” strategy to reignite volume growth in its core North American market, but the latest results were softer than hoped. On its latest call, analysts repeatedly circled one central question: is the expensive playbook failing, and is a painful “earnings reset” required to fix it? The most pointed challenge was the simplest: if the affordability push is working, why was volume in the key North America Foods (PFNA) division flat this quarter? This gets to the heart of the investment case, questioning the return on a very deliberate strategic shift. Management’s response was to immediately zoom out from North America to the global picture. The CEO highlighted that global volumes grew 3% in foods and 2% in beverages, calling it the “fastest growth in volume since 2022.” In the U.S., the defense was that the strategy successfully got the entire salty snacks category back to volume growth, and that PepsiCo is now gaining volume share. That is a meaningful achievement, but it reframes the goal. The answer was less specific on why PepsiCo’s own volumes didn’t pop, attributing the softness to an American consumer who is in worse shape “than what we had anticipated,” largely due to high gas prices. With the payback on spending looking weak, the next logical fear is that the company might need to spend even more, forcing an “earnings reset.” One analyst put that question to management directly, voicing the market’s biggest concern. A reset would imply the current plan is not only underperforming but is also underfunded, threatening future profits. The CEO’s answer was an unambiguous rejection of the idea. “We don't think we need any sort of reset,” he stated, anchoring the denial in a single claim: “record productivity in the first half of the year.” The company believes it can fund its growth initiatives by taking costs out of the business, not by lowering its earnings guidance. Management reaffirmed its full-year guidance, signaling confidence that it can navigate the consumer weakness without sacrificing the bottom line. Management’s story is...

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (NASDAQ: COKE) announced that its Board of Directors has declared a dividend for the third quarter of 2026 of $0.25 per share on shares of the Company's Common Stock and Class B Common Stock payable on August 7, 2026, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on July 24, 2026. About Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc.Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Coca-Cola Consolidated (NASDAQ: COKE) is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. We make, sell and distribute beverages of The Coca-Cola Company, and other partner companies, in more than 300 brands and flavors across 14 states and the District of Columbia, to approximately 60 million consumers. For over 124 years, we have been deeply committed to the consumers, customers and communities we serve and passionate about the broad portfolio of beverages and services we offer. Our Purpose is to honor God in all we do, to serve others, to pursue excellence and to grow profitably. More information about the Company is available at www.cokeconsolidated.com. Follow Coca-Cola Consolidated on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is expected to deliver a solid second quarter performance, with analysts at Jefferies and Bank of America highlighting resilient demand, steady volume trends and the company’s ability to navigate ongoing cost and macroeconomic pressures. Jefferies analysts wrote that they expect Coca-Cola to report stronger organic sales growth and a modest earnings beat for the quarter, forecasting organic sales growth of 3.9%, above the Street estimate of 3.5%. The firm expects adjusted earnings per share of $0.94, slightly ahead of consensus of $0.93 and representing 8.5% year-over-year growth. The analysts wrote that Coca-Cola is likely to reiterate its full-year guidance for 4% to 5% organic sales growth and 8% to 9% earnings per share growth, citing strong visibility into the company’s sales and cost outlook for the remainder of 2026. Jefferies said investor attention will likely focus on any commentary around potential sales and margin impacts from the ongoing Middle East conflict, particularly within the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa segment, as well as foreign exchange headwinds. The firm lowered its second quarter organic sales growth estimate from 5.1% to better reflect concentrate sales timing, now modelling 1.6% growth in concentrate sales while expecting unit case volumes to trail by “a couple points” during the period. For the full year, Jefferies kept its estimates largely unchanged, forecasting 5% organic sales growth, modest gross margin expansion and earnings per share of $3.28, up 9.2% year over year. The analysts highlighted Coca-Cola’s core soft drinks portfolio and Fairlife contribution as supporting its longer-term growth outlook, writing that positive volumes, resilient earnings growth and improving returns on invested capital reinforce its view that Coca-Cola remains a quality consumer staples name. Bank of America analysts also maintained a positive outlook ahead of Coca-Cola’s second quarter earnings report, estimating total company unit case volume growth of 2.0% year over year, broadly in line with Visible Alpha consensus of 2.2%. The analysts wrote that Coca-Cola continues to benefit from resilient demand, limited inflation exposure due to its asset-light business model and balance sheet flexibility. Bank of America reiterated its ‘Buy’ rating and raised its price objective to $95 from $90, above curre...

PepsiCo, Inc. PEP has reported strong second-quarter 2026 results, wherein revenues and earnings per share (EPS) beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate and improved year over year. Results have reflected organic revenue growth, favorable foreign currency translation, and a net benefit from acquisitions and divestitures.PEP’s second-quarter core EPS of $2.20 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.19 by 0.5% and improved 4% year over year. The company’s core constant-currency EPS increased 1%. Foreign currency aided EPS by 3%. Reported earnings were $2.18 per share versus 92 cents in the year-ago quarter. Shares of the Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) company have lost 9.1% in the past three months against the industry’s 5% growth. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Net revenues rose 6.4% to $24.18 billion and surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $23.87 billion by 1.3%. Organic revenues increased 2.4%, with global convenient foods organic volume up 3% and global beverages organic volume up 2%.PepsiCo’s net revenue growth included a 2.2-percentage-point benefit from foreign exchange translation and a 1.8-percentage-point net benefit from acquisitions and divestitures. Organic revenue growth reflected effective net pricing and a contribution from organic volume growth.Our model predicted year-over-year organic revenue growth of 2.6% for the second quarter, with a 2.5% gain from the price/mix and a 0.1% rise in volume.On a consolidated basis, the reported gross profit rose 5.5% year over year to $13.11 billion. The core gross profit increased 4.7% year over year to $13.12 billion. The reported gross margin contracted 50 bps to 54.2%, whereas the core gross margin fell 80 bps year over year to 54.3%, reflecting the continued impacts of cost pressures and business investments.We anticipated the core gross margin to decline 40 bps year over year to 54.7% in the second quarter. In dollar terms, core gross profit was expected to increase 4.1% year over year. PepsiCo, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | PepsiCo, Inc. Quote PepsiCo’s operating profit surged 125% to $4.02 billion in the second quarter of 2026, while core operating profit increased 4% to $4.07 billion. The sharp reported operating profit increase reflected prior-year impairment charges related to the Rockstar and Be & Cheery brands, lower restructuring charges and a favorable net impact of acquisition and...

PepsiCo PEP) is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 results before the market opens on Thursday, July 9, kicking off the earnings season for many consumer staples companies. Wall Street expects another quarter of modest growth, but investors will be paying closer attention to whether Pepsi's turnaround efforts in North America are beginning to gain traction after several quarters of sluggish snack demand and shifting consumer preferences. Meanwhile, rival Coca-Cola KO) will be reporting Q2 results at the end of the month (July 28) and has continued to execute well, consistently delivering stronger organic sales growth and higher operating margins. With both beverage giants trading at reasonable valuations while offering attractive dividend yields, investors may be wondering which stock deserves a place in their portfolios. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research PepsiCo is expected to report Q2 earnings of approximately $2.19 per share on revenue of $23.87 billion, representing modest year-over-year increases of 3% and 5%, respectively. It's noteworthy that Pepsi's international operations have remained a bright spot, but North America continues to face softer consumer spending as shoppers increasingly seek value brands and smaller package sizes. Still, after missing Q1 2025 EPS estimates last year, Pepsi has now exceeded earnings expectations in each of its last four quarterly reports, with an average EPS surprise of 2.69%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research However, it’s noteworthy that the Zacsk ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) indicates Pepsi’s streak of exceeding EPS expectations could end. To that point, the Most Accurate and recent estimate among Wall Street analysts has Q2 EPS slated at $2.18 and slightly beneath the underlying Zacks Consensus (Current Qtr below). Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Over the last year, Pepsi has struggled to regain momentum in its largest market. Management has responded by: Reducing prices on select snack products Increasing promotional activity Simplifying its product lineup Expanding healthier offerings Pursuing productivity initiatives to improve margins These initiatives were initially well received, but investors are now looking for tangible evidence that volumes are beginning to recover. If management can show improving trends in Frito-Lay North America while maintaining healthy international gr...

Warren Buffett has never hidden his love for Coca-Cola (KO). While nutrition experts might cringe at the thought of drinking five sodas a day, the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) chair has made it part of his daily routine for decades—and turned that personal preference into one of the most profitable investments of his career. In a 2015 interview with Fortune, Buffett explained just how much Coca-Cola is part of his life. Broadcom’s Largest AI Customer Is Fleeing to MediaTek. AVGO Stock Is Still a Buy. Mark Cuban Asks What If You Didn’t Need Health Insurance — And Hospitals Just Treated You, Then Took 10% of Your Pay? Nasdaq Futures Plunge as Samsung Sparks Chip Selloff Markets move fast. Keep up by reading our FREE midday Barchart Brief newsletter for exclusive charts, analysis, and headlines. “If I eat 2,700 calories a day, a quarter of that is Coca-Cola. I drink at least five 12-ounce servings. I do it every day,” he said. He typically enjoys three during the workday and two Cherry Cokes at home, often pairing them with potato sticks or ice cream. Ever the optimist, Buffett once joked, “I checked the actuarial tables, and the lowest death rate is among six-year-olds. So I decided to eat like a six-year-old.” He has credited his happiness—fueled in part by these simple pleasures—as a key factor in his longevity. Read more: The Sub-$1 Pre-IPO AI Stock That Could Make People “Superhuman” But Buffett wasn’t always loyal to Coke. For nearly 50 years he was a dedicated Pepsi (PEP) drinker—so much so that his son Howard nicknamed him “Pepsi Warren.” The switch came in 1986 thanks to his Omaha neighbor Don Keough, a longtime Coca-Cola executive. Keough sent Buffett samples of the then-new Cherry Coke, calling them “nectar of the gods.” Buffett was instantly hooked. That same year, at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting, he humorously announced the change to shareholders: “After 48 years of loyalty to another soft drink, your chairman, in an unprecedented display of behavioral flexibility, has switched to the new Cherry Coke. From now on, it will be the official drink of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting.” This personal passion perfectly aligns with Buffett’s investing philosophy. He doesn’t just buy businesses—he lives them. In 1988, Berkshire began purchasing Coca-Cola shares, eventually accumulating 400 million shares at a very low-cost basis of around...

KO trades at a 52-week high after a 22% year-to-date run, earning a BUY rating and a $91.13 price target implying 8% upside. Coca-Cola's Q1 2026 posted a fourth consecutive EPS beat and 10% organic revenue growth, while raising full-year EPS guidance to a range of 8 to 9%. Zero Sugar volume surged 13% across all geographies, supporting a bull case of $95 if margin expansion persists into Q2. Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Coca-Cola didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today. My Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) call is straightforward. After a 21.97% year-to-date run that has pushed shares to their 52-week high of $84.14, momentum, fundamentals, and defensive positioning all point higher. Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Coca-Cola is $91.13, implying 8.31% upside over the next 12 months. The recommendation is buy with high confidence at 90%. Coca-Cola is up 4.63% in the last week, 8.01% over the past month, and 22.04% over the trailing year. The catalyst was the Q1 2026 report on April 28, 2026, when KO delivered EPS of $0.86 against a $0.8123 estimate and revenue of $12.47B, up 12.1% YoY. Organic revenue grew 10%, operating margin expanded to 35% from 32.9%, and management raised full-year comparable EPS growth guidance to 8% to 9% off the $3 2025 base. New CEO Henrique Braun said the quarter reflected our unwavering focus on staying close to the consumer, executing locally and managing complexity. That was the fourth consecutive EPS beat. Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Coca-Cola didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today. The bull case rests on portfolio categories compounding. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar grew volume 13% across every geographic segment in Q1, and global unit case volume rose 3%, led by China, the US, and India. All five reporting segments grew: North America +12%, EMEA +13%, Latin America +14%, Asia Pacific +6%, and Bottling Investments +12%. Free cash flow guidance sits at $12.2B, funding 63rd consecutive year of dividend increases and a $5.2B remaining buyback authorization. Consumer staples demand is holding, with US food services spending climbing to $1,538.3B in May 2026. Analyst consensus sits at $85.97, and our bull case projects $95.34 if margin expansion and Zero Sugar momentum persist. The bear case starts with valuation. KO trades at...

Valued at a market cap of $349.7 billion, The Coca-Cola Company (KO) is the world's largest non-alcoholic beverage company, manufacturing, marketing, and distributing a diverse portfolio of beverages sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Headquartered in Georgia, it owns and licenses over 200 beverage brands across sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, juices, dairy, tea, coffee, and energy drinks. The beverage titan is expected to announce its fiscal Q2 earnings for 2026 before the market opens on Tuesday, July 28. Before this event, analysts expect this beverage company to report a profit of $0.92 per share, up 5.8% from $0.87 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company has topped Wall Street’s bottom-line estimates in each of the last four quarters. SanDisk Slumps 10% But BofA Stays Bullish. Here Is How to Play SanDisk Stock Here. 1 High-Probability Iron Condor Trade on Broadcom Stock to Make Now with 29% Return Potential Nasdaq Futures Slip as Chip Stocks Extend Slide, U.S. Jobs Report in Focus Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market analysis you won't find anywhere else. For the current fiscal year, ending in December, analysts expect KO to report a profit of $3.26 per share, up 8.7% from $3 per share in fiscal 2025. Furthermore, its EPS is expected to grow 7.1% year over year to $3.49 in fiscal 2027. Shares of KO have gained 18.7% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming the S&P 500 Index's ($SPX) 20.2% return over the same time frame. However, it has outpaced the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLP) 3.4% uptick over the same time period. The Coca-Cola Company remains a favorite among long-term investors, including Warren Buffett, thanks to its resilient business model, strong cash flows, and consistent shareholder returns. A member of the prestigious Dividend Aristocrats, Coca-Cola has raised its annual dividend for more than 60 consecutive years, supported by its globally recognized brands, unmatched distribution network, and pricing power. Wall Street analysts are highly optimistic about KO’s stock, with an overall "Strong Buy" rating. Among 25 analysts covering the stock, 19 recommend "Strong Buy," two indicate “Moderate Buy,” and four suggest "Hold.” The mean price target for KO is $87, indicating a 3.4% potential upside from the cur...

PepsiCo, Inc. PEP is expected to register top and bottom-line growth when it reports second-quarter 2026 numbers on July 9, before the opening bell.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter revenues is pegged at $23.9 billion, implying 5% growth from the year-ago quarter's reported figure. For quarterly earnings, the consensus mark is pegged at $2.19, suggesting 3.3% growth from the $2.12 reported in the prior-year quarter. The consensus mark for earnings has been unchanged in the past 30 days.In the last reported quarter, the company registered an earnings surprise of 4.6%. It has delivered an earnings surprise of 2.7%, on average, in the trailing four quarters. PepsiCo, Inc. price-eps-surprise | PepsiCo, Inc. Quote Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for PepsiCo this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the chances of an earnings beat. But that is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they are reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.PepsiCo currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) and an Earnings ESP of -0.39%.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. PepsiCo entered the second quarter with several operational priorities that investors are watching closely, particularly whether improving sales trends could translate into stronger profitability.In PepsiCo Foods North America (“PFNA”), the company has been investing in affordability, innovation and marketing to strengthen demand across its snack portfolio. While these initiatives have helped stabilize volumes, they have also weighed on the margins, suggesting profitability could remain under pressure until the benefits of higher commercial spending become more visible. In the second-quarter release, investors are expected to look for signs that the revenue momentum is increasingly flowing through to earnings.Within PepsiCo Beverages North America (“PBNA”), attention is likely to be centered on underlying volume trends. The first quarter reflected disruption from the transition of the case-pack water business, while reported growth benefited from portfolio actions, including acquisitions. As new products such as Pepsi Prebiotic, Gatorade Lower Sugar and other functional beverages gain wider distribution, investors are anticipated to look fo...