Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) jumped in early trading Tuesday after delivering Q4 results that topped expectations, driven by strong organic sales growth.
The company reported revenue of $11.5 billion, up 6.5% year-over-year, while earnings per share rose 12% to $0.55, beating the $0.52 consensus estimate. Organic revenue surged 14%, far exceeding the expected 7.2% growth and outpacing PepsiCo's (PEP) 2.1% increase for a similar period. The biggest gains came from Latin America (+25%), Europe, Middle East & Africa (+17%), and North America (+15%).
Higher prices fueled the revenue jump, as global unit case volume increased just 2%. Operating income also saw strong growth, rising 22%, with Latin America up 46% and North America up 26%. Looking ahead, Coca-Cola forecasts full-year organic revenue growth of 5% to 6% and expects EPS between $2.94 and $2.97, in line with analyst estimates. Shares of KO gained marginally following the report.
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