Earnings season is officially shifting into high gear. It’s a great time to be an investor, as stocks typically move up during the period.
Investors are more than eager for companies to finally pull the curtain back and reveal how they’ve navigated the choppy economic waters we find ourselves sailing in.
A hawkish Fed and soaring costs have undoubtedly been impactful headlines year-to-date, causing widespread margin compression and deep valuation slashes.
One company slated to release quarterly earnings next week on July 26
th
before the opening bell is the widely-recognized Coca-Cola Company
KO
. Coca-Cola is an American multinational corporation best known for its flagship Coca-Cola beverage.
The company resides in the Zacks Consumer Staples Sector, which has a year-to-date return of a marginal 0.8%. In addition, KO is a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) with an overall VGM Score of a D.
Let’s see how things are shaping up for the beverage titan.
Share Performance & Valuation
Year-to-date, KO shares have been notably strong, increasing more than 5% in value and easily outperforming its Zacks Sector.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Over the last year, KO shares have remained strong, increasing by a double-digit 12% and outperforming its Zacks Sector in this timeframe as well.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The substantial share performance is undoubtedly a highlight, especially amidst the deep valuation slashes we’ve witnessed across the board in 2022.
Coca-Cola’s forward earnings multiple of 25.4X resides on the high side, further displayed by its Style Score of a D for Value. The current value is above its five-year median of 24.4X and well above its Zacks Sector average, representing a 25% premium.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Growth Estimates
For the quarter to be reported, the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate resides at $0.67, penciling in a marginal 1.5% decrease in quarterly earnings year-over-year. In addition, one analyst has negatively revised their earnings outlook for the quarter over the last 60 days.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
However, the quarterly sales estimate of $10.8 billion reflects a 6.6% increase compared to year-ago quarterly revenue of $10.1 billion.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Quarterly Performance & Share Reactions
Coca-Cola has been on a stellar earnings streak, exceeding the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate in each of its previous ten quarters. In addition, the company posted a 10% bottom-line beat in its latest quarter.
Quarterly sales have also been reported above expectations consistently; Coca-Cola has recorded eight top-line beats over its previous ten quarters.
Furthermore, the market has reacted well to EPS beats – over Coca-Cola’s previous eight EPS beats, shares have moved upwards six times.
Bottom Line
Earnings are forecasted to decline, but revenue is forecasted to increase, a reflection of the margin compression the company has weathered throughout the period.
The company has elevated valuation levels but consistently reports top and bottom-line results above expectations. In addition, the market has generally reacted positively to bottom-line beats as of late, and share performance has been stellar year-to-date.
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