ATLANTA, April 25, 2026, 13:06 (EDT)
- The Coca-Cola Company is set to post its first-quarter numbers on April 28, once again spotlighting its 2026 sales forecast for investors.
- One of Latin America’s biggest Coca-Cola bottlers surprised this week, recording higher volumes than anticipated—this even as Mexico’s sugary-drink tax remains in place.
- Coca-Cola closed out Friday at $76.63, up 0.46%. Keurig Dr Pepper shares moved higher; PepsiCo ended lower.
Coca-Cola is set to report first-quarter results next week, bringing with it a new World Cup campaign and an early read from a major Latin American bottler—both factors that are putting a finer point on the question of whether demand will endure following multiple years of rising prices.
The Atlanta-based company will report earnings before the New York Stock Exchange bell on Tuesday, April 28, with an investor call set for 8:30 a.m. ET. This update draws focus after Coke’s guidance in February projected organic revenue growth of 4% to 5% for 2026—organic revenue strips out items like currency shifts, acquisitions, and divestitures.
Investors looking at the bottling sector this week found Arca Continental in focus. The Coca-Cola bottler—second-largest in Latin America—posted a 2% increase in volumes over last year. Bottled water surged nearly 10%, and colas edged up 1%, this despite Mexico’s new sugary drinks tax.
Arca posted EBITDA of 10.63 billion pesos, landing above the 10.20 billion pesos analysts surveyed by LSEG had expected. Santander pointed out that “all eyes” were on Mexico’s volumes, while JPMorgan described the results as resilient, according to Reuters. Reuters
Coca-Cola kept up its momentum on the brand front. Powerade kicked off its FIFA World Cup 26 campaign, “Power Your Fate,” back on April 23, signing up Lamine Yamal and Rodrygo Goes as faces of the effort. Coke’s marketing chief Manolo Arroyo described the campaign as grounded in “preparation, discipline, and focus.” Coca-Cola Company
Sports drinks aren’t Coke’s main revenue stream, but they offer the company a shot at younger buyers and put it up against PepsiCo’s Gatorade. Back in February, Coca-Cola reported a 5% bump in sports drink sales for the fourth quarter, up just 1% for 2025. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar did better—13% higher in the quarter, 14% for the full year.
It’s a patchwork landscape out there. Keurig Dr Pepper beat first-quarter sales and profit expectations Thursday, posting about a 12% jump in its U.S. beverage unit. Coffee, on the other hand, dragged margins. The results show demand for drinks isn’t moving in lockstep across the sector.
Coke faces a clear risk here: as prices climb, some shoppers might balk, while sugar taxes, swings in currencies, and costlier inputs keep squeezing both bottlers and margins. Back in February, Reuters flagged that Coca-Cola’s Asia-Pacific volume didn’t budge in the fourth quarter, with China and India weighing on the numbers. Jefferies’ Kaumil Gajrawala described the company’s 2026 outlook as “conservative” but “appropriate” given the year’s opening stretch. Reuters
Tuesday’s earnings will test a few things: Can Coke keep volumes up? Will zero-sugar and sports drinks do enough to counter softness in classic sodas? Investors also want to see if management holds the line on its 2026 outlook. With shares hovering around $76.63 and a market cap topping $330 billion, even subtle shifts in messaging could move the needle.
