Coca-Cola Crushes S&P 500 with 64-Year Dividend Streak

Coca-Cola has been a reliable dividend payer and raiser for over 64 years, making it one of the market's rare Dividend Kings. In fact, its current streak is near the top among this exclusive lineup.

The company's business is beverage-centric, with a vast portfolio that includes Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Powerade, and Fresca Mixed, among others. Its shift to an asset-light operation has lifted profit margins even higher, with the second quarter seeing global case volume rise by 5% year over year.

Coca-Cola's free cash flow for the first half of the year clocked in at $6.9 billion, a testament to its ability to generate plenty of greenbacks for dividend hikes. The company has a consistent track record of raising its dividend, with the latest increase being 4% higher to $0.53 per share in February.

The consensus analyst projection for annual earnings per share (EPS) is $3.34, more than 11% higher than the 2025 number. Revenue is expected to rise by over 3% to $49.7 billion. With its fundamentals and payout slated to rise, investors may want to consider owning Coca-Cola stock.