Coca-Cola (KO) closed at $63.34 in the latest trading session, marking a -0.72% move from the prior day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500’s daily loss of 1.45%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 1.05%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 5.88%.
Prior to today’s trading, shares of the world’s largest beverage maker had gained 1.87% over the past month. This has outpaced the Consumer Staples sector’s gain of 1.66% and the S&P 500’s loss of 1.68% in that time.
Investors will be hoping for strength from Coca-Cola as it approaches its next earnings release. On that day, Coca-Cola is projected to report earnings of $0.45 per share, which would represent no growth from the year-ago period. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $9.95 billion, up 5.1% from the year-ago period.
KO’s full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $2.48 per share and revenue of $42.8 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +6.9% and +10.72%, respectively.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Coca-Cola. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the company’s business outlook.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant within the past month. Coca-Cola is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Investors should also note Coca-Cola’s current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 25.72. This valuation marks a no noticeable deviation compared to its industry’s average Forward P/E of 25.72.
Investors should also note that KO has a PEG ratio of 4.13 right now. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock’s expected earnings growth rate. Beverages – Soft drinks stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 3.26 based on yesterday’s closing prices.
The Beverages – Soft drinks industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 47, putting it in the top 19% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023
In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the
Zacks Top 10 Stocks
portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500’s +287.4%.
Now our Director of Research is combing through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 3.
Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free report
