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Opinions Paul Harris, CFA
Coca-Cola CompanyKOBUYAug 29, 2013
Paul Harris, CFAStock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 22, 2026. Market Open.
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Premium contentThis trend accounted for KO's price drop to $52.89 in early October, but it's noteworthy that shares recovered quickly even as the wider S&P continued to slide. Entering December, KO shares have climbed $6 from that low, sandwiched between their 50- and 200-day moving averages. Further, its PE of 23.38x trades below its five-year average of 28.24x at a stable 0.59 beta, while the company has beaten its last three quarters.
Premium contentThe Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The drink industry company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Social media mentions are up 129% in the past 24h.
We feel that the consumer staples space is trading at attractive valuations, and for the time being, much of the reason for the decline (ozempic fears), is likely overblown. KO pays a dividend of 3.3% which is slightly above its 20-year average of 3%. Relative to its 20-year historical average valuations, its forward P/E is in line with historical averages, while its EV/EBITDA and forward price to sales are both slightly above historical averages. For an investor with a long-term time horizon, we would be quite comfortable with KO today.
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It's been oversold, triggered by this anti-sugar talk driven by the anti-obesity drugs. He expects good earnings from Coke.
Kevin SullivanPremium contentThe Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The drink industry company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Social media mentions are up 243% in the past 24h.
KO is now trading at 19.4x times' Forward P/E. KO is a mature consumer staples company and KO used to be a “bond proxy” for income investors due to the stability of its business, the capital-light nature of beverages and its high dividend yield. KO’s share price was quite resilient last year. However, due to the new expectation that rates may stay higher for longer, most consumer staples names have experienced pressure in recently, as bonds become a safer alternative for yield. KO is largely mature, revenue growth going forward is expected to be around 5%. Having said that, valuation is at a more attractive level now, currently trading at 19.4x Forward P/E, while historical averages in the last few years range from 19.3x to 26.1x. It is not a huge buy yet, but we would be OK to slowly start buying, for those with a decent time frame.
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Premium contentThe Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The drink industry company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. Social media mentions are up 150% in the past 24h.
A Warren Buffett core holding. He gradually built his holdings in the late-80s and into the 1990s then didn't touch the shares. Coke and AmEx are now among his largest holdings. Total cost: $1.3 billion apiece. Last year, he earned $704 million in dividends from Coke + $302 million from AmEx in 2022 alone.
Trades at about 18X earnings with a 3% yield. Has pulled off because they had some issues with input costs which hurt margins. Margins are stabilizing now so that is going to be better. This is an incredible brand name. Have 17% of the carbonated market in the US and 22% in the developing world. The key to this story is really the emerging markets which has a huge upside. Have done a good job of diversifying their product mix. $46 in 12 months is a reasonable expectation.