Coca-Cola Company Earnings Preview: Analysts Expect Higher EPS, Revenue

Coca-Cola Company KO announces its next round of earnings this Tuesday, October 18, 2011. Get the latest predictions in Benzinga's essential guide to the company's third quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Wall Street expects an EPS of $1.02/share and revenues of $12.04 billion. Coca-Cola Company's latest numbers will no doubt be compared with the company's year-ago quarter, when it reported a profit of 92 cents/share on revenues of $8.43 billion. We'll know on Tuesday whether Coca-Cola Company has managed the estimated 10.9% increase in EPS and 42.8% rise in revenues on a year-over-year basis.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Quarter	Q2	Q1	Q4	Q3
EPS Estimate	$1.16	$0.87	$0.72	$0.89
EPS Actual	$1.17	$0.86	$0.72	$0.92

Stock Performance:

At last check, shares of Coca-Cola Company were trading at $67.48. Shares are up 4.8% year to date. For a full 12 months, the return has risen by 16.8%. Given that these returns are generally positive, long-term shareholders are probably satisfied going into this earnings release.

Long-term shareholders are already enjoying 12-month gains prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Coca-Cola Company is a Moderate Buy. This rating has strengthened slightly over the past ninety days.

Competitors:

Looking for a sympathy stock to trade or interested in the performance of other companies in the same sector? Take a look at some of Coca-Cola Company's peers.

Coca-Cola Enterprises CCE: Hold with a $0.76 recent quarter EPS
Cott Corp (USA COT: Moderate Buy with a $0.31 recent quarter EPS
Dr Pepper Snapple Group DPS: Hold with a $0.77 recent quarter EPS

Coca-Cola Company is in the beverages-soft industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 1.4%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Coca-Cola is a leading manufacturer of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups.

Take Action:

Now that you're fully prepared, get ready to take quick action if the company reports any numbers significantly different from those listed above. Also, check back in with us after the announcement for a full recap and what-to-do-next guide.

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