UPDATE: S&P Places Coca-Cola's Ratings on CreditWatch with Positive Implications

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services today placed its 'AA-' long-term corporate credit rating and issue-level ratings on Atlanta, Ga.-based The Coca-Cola Co.

on CreditWatch with positive implications, meaning that we could either raise or affirm the ratings upon completion of our review. The 'A-1+' short-term corporate credit and commercial paper ratings are not on CreditWatch. "The CreditWatch placement reflects our intention to reassess the use of an unfavorable comparable rating analysis on Coca-Cola. Our analysis will include the company's ability to maintain core ratios within the indicative ratio ranges for a "modest" financial risk profile in light of challenging industry conditions in North America and the anticipated slowing growth in emerging markets," said credit analyst Jean Stout. "The reassessment is prompted by our view that the company's competitive position remains excellent and that management has maintained a moderate financial policy, keeping credit ratios in line with our "modest" financial risk assessment." Standard & Poor's will seek to resolve the CreditWatch in the very near term. Upon completion of our review, we could raise or leave unchanged the ratings on Coca-Cola.