Coca-Cola: Bottle Is Half Full

The Coca-Cola Company (KO), the world largest soft-drink maker, reported its third quarter (3Q) financial results for fiscal year 2013 (FY13) on October 16. The company’s revenues are typically the highest in the summer months – or the second and third quarters – when warm weather acts as a demand driver for soft drink sales.

Overall Results

In the latest quarter ended September 30, 2013, Coca-Cola reported an EPS of $0.54, an 8% Year-over-Year (YoY) increase from the same quarter last year. The EPS figure was in line with analysts’ estimates, signaling strong fiscal management, despite a YoY decline in overall revenues.

Total net revenues for the quarter came in at $12.03 billion, and missed analyst expectations of $12.05 billion by just 0.19%. Reported revenues declined 3% YoY, mainly due to restructuring charges in its Philippines and Brazil operations. After excluding restructuring costs, and accounting currency fluctuations, global revenues actually increased 4%.

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Coca-Cola Vs. PepsiCo: Coke’s Got More Fizz

When considering dividend stocks, investors seek fundamentally strong companies that pay out stable and incremental dividends without cutting corners in times of crisis. The sustainability of dividend payments is measured usually by comparing a few important metrics between different companies.

Coca-Cola (KO) and PepsiCo (PEP), the two largest global beverage companies, have traditionally been considered strong dividend stocks. Both companies are included in the S&P Dividend Aristocrats List, and their stock prices are resilient enough to hold up during a financial downturn.

Even though the two are quite closely matched in terms of dividend yields, debt ratios, and revenue growth, we will be digging deeper to find out which of the two companies is in a better position to pay dividends on a sustained basis.

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Behold: A 'Wine Glass' for Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola (KO) is a drink often sucked up greedily from a giant paper cup, but Georg Riedel is the type of aficionado who believes the right glass can refine the flavor of any drink. Such claims can only be expected from the owner of Riedel, an Austrian company that makes tailored glasses for specific varieties of wines and spirits. Now Mr. Riedel is taking his glassware philosophy to new territory: nonalcoholic beverages. He’s going big, too, starting with the most iconic beverage brand: Coca-Cola.

Whether pinot noir actually tastes better from a pinot noir glass—and merlot, and so on—is debatable (it’s certainly a handy claim for a glassmaker), but there are enough meticulous imbibers in the world that Riedel sells 55 million pieces across its three brands each year. The company recently started dabbling in glasses for specific craft beers, too, but Mr. Riedel says it’s long been his dream to market a Coca-Cola glass. “I would say this is, for me in my career, the most exciting project,” he says.

The new Coca-Cola glass is designed to ensure the right balance, which in Coke means “sweetness, acidity, minerality, and effervescence,” according to Riedel. The bubbles stay longer on the palate. “The finish,” he claims, “is much longer” compared with drinking from a normal glass, and the aroma is more intense. Add that to your tasting notes. The glass is designed and tested for regular Coca-Cola (not diet)—Pepsi (PEP) fans use at your own risk.

Coca-Cola asked the company to make a new glass last February. Riedel now has a licensing deal with the soda company, the first time Riedel has worked with a booze-free brand. With wine glass sales slowing in Europe, Riedel sees glassware for nonalcoholic beverages as an untapped opportunity.

Read More :  A 'Wine Glass' for Coca-Cola

CocaCola Company Description

Coca-Cola (KO) is a one of the leading global beverage companies, with over 500 different brands of non-alcoholic drinks sold in almost every country of the world. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company classifies its operations into two business segments. Its Concentrate segment involves selling concentrate syrup to its bottling partners for bottling and distribution, while its finished product business produces and sells bottles directly to businesses and consumer. Coca-Cola’s portfolio of beverages includes 15 ‘billion-dollar brands’. North America is the company’s largest segment by revenues, while Latin America is the largest segment in terms of unit volume sales. Read More: KO

Will Coca-Cola or Pepsi Win The Soda War?

Among the major soda purveyors, it's understandable to consider Coca-Cola  (NYSE: KO  ) and PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP  ) as one-and-the-same. After all, their namesake sparkling beverages have competed against each other for decades, and together they've dominated the soda business.

  

As it happens, though, the present day represents a vastly different place in terms of consumer preferences. Consumers, particularly in the United States, are more health-conscious than ever. The demand for lower-calorie, less-sugary beverages is rippling through the soda industry, and the end result is stagnating case volume shipments for the twin industry heavyweights.

One of the two titans of soda has acknowledged this trend and charted a different course, while the other has no plans to be anything but a sparkling beverage company. That's why, as it appears to me, there's a clear winner of the soda wars. Read more.

The Coca-Cola Company declares “zero tolerance” for land grabs in supply chain

Coca-Cola Company to take steps to stop land grabs from happening in its supply chain after more than 225,000 people signed petitions and took action as part of Oxfam’s campaign to urge food and beverage companies to respect community land rights.

The company committed its bottlers to do the same. The Coca-Cola Company also said it will do sweeping social and environmental assessments across its supply chains beginning with Colombia, Guatemala and Brazil, then moving on to India, South Africa and other countries, and that it will publicly reveal its biggest sugarcane suppliers.

PepsiCo and Associated British Foods (ABF), the two other targets of Oxfam’s campaign, have yet to address the issues highlighted by Oxfam’s report, Nothing Sweet About It.

“Today one of the biggest companies in the world stood up to take greater responsibility for the impacts of its operations,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America. “Coca-Cola has taken an important step to show consumers and the communities it relies upon that it aims to be a part of the solution to land grabs. This will resonate throughout the industry.” Read more.

Coca Cola Pushes into China

As reported to Bloomberg, beverage maker The Coca-Cola Company (KO) has plans to invest more than $4 billion in China from 2015 to 2017 to combat the rising competition in the soft drinks market. The company has also introduced new products and intends to build new plants to meet the growing demand of Chinese consumers.

The cola giant is ramping up its investment in China as the company and its bottlers seek to double global revenues to $200 billion in 10 years ending 2020. This investment of $4 billion is in addition to the previous investment plan of $4 billion for China for the year 2012-2014.

Coca-Cola is also interested in acquisition deals in China and may add healthier drinks in its portfolio such as juice making companies or plant-protein drinks like almond milk. Read more.