Coca-Cola Surprises with Unusual Quarter, Beating Own Targets

Coca-Cola's recent quarter was anything but consistent for the Dividend King. The company's revenue and profit accelerated together, beating its own targets as well as Wall Street estimates.

The company saw a 7% increase in net revenue to $13.4 billion, with comparable earnings per share rising 11% to 97 cents. This growth came despite operational challenges in India, where the company lost value share in the ready-to-drink beverage market due to aluminum can shortages.

The World Cup sponsorship was a significant contributor to this growth, particularly for Powerade, which saw an 8% increase in volume. The tournament's hydration breaks also generated tens of millions of new customer data records for Coca-Cola.