NEW YORK, Feb 12, 2026, 14:57 EST — Regular session
- KO moved higher in the afternoon, with traders parsing Coca-Cola’s updated 2026 forecast and its leadership shakeup.
- The latest quarter saw the company surpass profit expectations, though revenue came in short, leaving investors to zero in on volumes and pricing.
- Coca-Cola’s set to take the spotlight at the CAGNY conference on Feb. 17.
Coca-Cola shares climbed 1.4% to close at $79.71 on Thursday, briefly hitting $80.40 earlier in the session as traders nudged the stock near recent peaks.
The move draws out a volatile stretch following earnings, as the soda giant projected 2026 organic revenue growth at 4% to 5%—that’s organic, so it factors out currency and acquisition impacts—coming in shy of the 5.3% analysts had penciled in. New CEO Henrique Braun, in comments to analysts, said, “We need to get closer to the consumer and improve our speed to market.” Jefferies’ Kaumil Gajrawala called the forecast “conservative,” noting the Street “likely wanted more.” Reuters
Coca-Cola is projecting comparable earnings per share to climb 7% to 8% in 2026, with organic revenue growth in the 4% to 5% range. The company’s free cash flow target lands at roughly $12.2 billion—after capital spending. Executives put the underlying effective tax rate at 20.9%, not counting any effect from an ongoing IRS dispute. A planned sale of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa is expected to pose a divestiture headwind.
Shares finished Wednesday at $78.60, up 2.33%, breaking a two-day slide and beating out several major packaged-food names even as the wider market delivered a mixed performance.
Coca-Cola shares bucked the trend Thursday, climbing even as Wall Street lost ground. It was another rough session for software and tech stocks, which absorbed much of the selloff before Friday’s U.S. consumer price index release.
Earlier this week, Coca-Cola HBC, a key Coke bottler, projected organic operating profit will climb between 7% and 10% in 2026, pointing to resilient demand for non-alcoholic beverages and a push into faster-growing markets.
KO holders know the drill: the question is whether the company can keep drinks flying off shelves and hold the line on pricing—without sending customers hunting for cheaper brands or trimming their orders. There’s extra friction in Asia, too, as executives flag intensifying rivalry from local players.
Still, the bounce doesn’t guarantee safety. Should prices keep driving performance and demand slacken in North America or Asia, shares could lose ground fast. Currency fluctuations may eat into reported numbers, and the unresolved U.S. tax issue is another wild card.
Eyes now shift to Feb. 17. That’s when Coca-Cola steps into the spotlight at the CAGNY 2026 Conference, an early opportunity for investors to dig into questions on innovation speed, affordability strategies, and what’s really behind the 2026 guidance.
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