Coke, Fuze Tea Demand Drive Coca-Cola's Quarterly Revenue Beat

By Donna Ahern
Coke, Fuze Tea Demand Drive Coca-Cola's Quarterly Revenue Beat

Coca-Cola Co's quarterly revenue beat market expectations on Thursday, driven by the beverage maker's signature soda, Fuze teas and coffees in North America and emerging markets.

The Atlanta-based company has been pushing to launch more coffee, teas and low-sugar beverages to expand its offer of in-demand products as consumers move away from sugary drinks.

Earlier this month, Coke added dairy company Fairlife to its range of brands, giving Coca-Cola access to fastest-growing categories in the United States ranging from lactose-free to ultra-filtered milk.

The company said fourth-quarter revenue growth was led by its trademark Coca-Cola, that included products such as its caffeinated beverage Plus Coffee and Zero Sugar soda.

Organic Revenue Increase 

ADVERTISEMENT

Organic revenue, a keenly watched metric that excludes currency fluctuations and acquisitions, climbed 7% during the quarter.

Volumes, a key indicator of demand, grew 3%, spurred by its Coca-Cola soda, with growth across all geographies. Volumes grew 4% for teas and coffee and 3% for sparkling soft drinks.

At the same time, rival PepsiCo is preparing for the launch of its own coffee-cola beverage that has double the caffeine punch as regular soda.

Coca-Cola's shares were up about 2% in trading before the bell. The stock rose about 17% last year, compared with the broader S&P 500 Consumer Staples index and rival PepsiCo which have each gained about 24%.

Net revenue grew 16% to $9.07 billion, beating analysts' estimate of $8.89 billion.

ADVERTISEMENT

Coke projected 2020 organic revenues to grow about 5%, compared with the 6% rise it reported in 2019 and said it would continue to expand into new categories through acquisitions in 2020.

"That's a pretty good indication that they feel good about the year so far... this would be seen as setting up a strong year," industry expert and executive editor of Beverage-Digest, Duane Stanford, said.

For the year, Coca-Cola expects to record adjusted profit of $2.25 per share, a cent below analysts' forecast, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Excluding one-time items, Coca-Cola earned 44 cents per share in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, meeting Wall Street expectations.

Net income attributable to the company's shareholders rose to $2.04 billion, or 47 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, from $870 million, or 20 cents per share, a year earlier.

News by Reuters, edited by Donna Ahern, Checkout. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.

Stay Connected With Our Weekly Newsletter

Processing your request...

Thanks! please check your email to confirm your subscription.