Coca-Cola (KO) Laps the Stock Market: Here's Why

Coca-Cola (KO) closed at $72.88 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.41% move from the prior day. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 0.03% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 0.58%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.28%. The stock of world's largest beverage maker has risen by 2.51% in the past month, lagging the Consumer Staples sector's gain of 3.32% and overreaching the S&P 500's gain of 0.6%.The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Coca-Cola in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on February 10, 2026. The company is forecasted to report an EPS of $0.56, showcasing a 1.82% upward movement from the corresponding quarter of the prior year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $12.07 billion, reflecting a 4.51% rise from the equivalent quarter last year. For the annual period, the Zacks Consensus Estimates anticipate earnings of $2.99 per share and a revenue of $48.33 billion, signifying shifts of +3.82% and 0%, respectively, from the last year. Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Coca-Cola should also be noted by investors. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Consequently, upward revisions in estimates express analysts' positivity towards the business operations and its ability to generate profits. Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model. Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.08% higher. Coca-Cola currently has a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell). In the context of valuation, Coca-Cola is at present trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 22.3. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 17.01, so one might conclude that Coca-Cola is trading at a premium comparatively. Meanwhile, KO's PEG ratio is currently 3.7. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. KO's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.12 as of yesterday's close. The Beverages - Soft drinks industry is part of the Consumer Staples sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 207, positioning it in the bottom 16% of all 250+ industries. The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1. Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions. Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge GainsQuantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power.Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>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 CocaCola Company (The) (KO): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks