Last year, Coca-Cola (KO) acquired Coca-Cola Enterprises' North American bottling operations. In addition, volume in North America rose 3%, excluding acquisitions and the currency impacts. These two factors gave the company an outstanding quarter. The company has taken market share from its rival PepsiCo (PEP).

Coca-Cola reported Wednesday earnings of $5.77 billion, or $2.46 a share, up from $1.54, or 66 cents per share, a year ago, according to The Wall Street Journal. Excluding benefits from bottling acquisition, earnings were 72 cents a share. Revenues increased 40% to $10.5 billion, and were up 45% excluding currency impacts. Gross margins fell to 59.2% from 64.7%.

Continue reading Coca-Cola's Earnings Surge

Coca-Cola's Earnings Surge originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you are looking for clues telling you which stocks have a good chance of increasing in value, you might want consider watching what insiders are doing. After all, talk is cheap, but when insiders put their own money on the line, you should sit up and take note.

Coca-Cola (KO) topped the insider-buying charts for the week ending July 9th as insiders snapped up 270,000 shares of company stock at a market value of $16,899,786. During the past six months, insiders have increased their overall holdings in the company by 3.15% and now own 0.55% of KO stock.

Continue reading Insiders Snapping Up Coca-Cola, Western Gas and More

Insiders Snapping Up Coca-Cola, Western Gas and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you are looking for clues telling you which stocks have a good chance of increasing in value, you might want consider watching what insiders are doing. After all, talk is cheap, but when insiders put their own money on the line, you should sit up and take note.

GTx Inc. (GTXI) topped the insider-buying charts for the week ending July 9 as insiders snapped up 5,467,860 shares of company stock at a market value of $15,310,008. During the past six months, insiders have increased their overall holdings in the company by 2.72% and now own 71.44% of GTXI stock.

Continue reading Insiders Snapping Up GTX, Coca-Cola and More

Insiders Snapping Up GTX, Coca-Cola and More originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Beverage firm Coca-Cola (KO) announced that its third-quarter earnings came in better than the consensus estimate. For the quarter, Coke brought in 88 cents per share ($2.06 billion), or 92 cents per share excluding items. The consensus estimate called for earnings of 89 cents per share.

Turning to revenue, Coke saw a 5% increase to $8.43 billion. The company noted that its integration efforts are "well on track," stressing its savings target of at least $350 million per year. These savings will be implemented during the next four years.

Continue reading Coca-Cola's Q3 Earnings Top Estimates

Coca-Cola's Q3 Earnings Top Estimates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of the world's largest soft drink maker, Coca-Cola Company (KO), are trading lower this morning, despite better-than-expected earnings for the company's first quarter.

Analysts had forecast earnings of 74 cents per share, and the company outpaced estimates with reported earnings of 80 cents per share, excluding special items. The company reported earnings of 64 cents per share during the same period last year.

Continue reading Coca-Cola Beats Earnings Estimates but Revenues Fall Short

Coca-Cola Beats Earnings Estimates but Revenues Fall Short originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Coca-Cola: Pull-back is an opportunity to take a position

Coca-Cola: Pull-back is an opportunity to take a position originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Facebook is making the biggest ad splash since Google, according to an article in the Financial Times.

More than four-fifths of the largest advertisers in the United States have turned to the social networking platform to promote their wares -- after several years of fearing these types of communities. The lure of Facebook must have been too much to resist, with 340 million monthly unique visitors. Now, it's not unusual to see the likes of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Nike (NYSE: NKE), and AT&T (NYSE: ATT) advertising in this world.

Continue reading Major brands buying up Facebook ads

Major brands buying up Facebook ads originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading China rejects Coke's bid for Huiyuan Juice

China rejects Coke's bid for Huiyuan Juice originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading The NCAA bans some Vitaminwater flavors, will it hurt Coke's earnings?

The NCAA bans some Vitaminwater flavors, will it hurt Coke's earnings? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) has come up with a novel marketing message. Drinking Coke can make you happy in hard times.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "Coca-Cola is launching a new global ad campaign for its iconic cola, hoping to appeal to consumers' longing for comfort and optimism at a time when the weakening economy is sapping soft-drink sales."

How subtle. And, to think it might work. Most people are not boobs and the obvious nature of the message is not likely to be lost on anyone, but who would not like a little ray of sunshine on a cloudy day? To some extent the new message is just an extension of the decades-long philosophy behind advertising Coke. It has always been about feeling good, sharing a soda with friends, and enjoying life

The fact that the drink is pure sugar and stimulates the brain has nothing to do with it. Neither does the experience of an energy "crash" when the sugar wears off.

Go ahead and hug yourself, have a Coke, and don't worry that you are out of work.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

Coca-Cola (KO): Your soft drink is the road to happiness originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Blue-chip soda titan Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) slipped into the red this morning after Standard & Poor's last night revised the company's outlook to "negative." The ratings change also affects the Dow component's two main bottling units, Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling (NYSE: CCH). Analyst Jean Stout noted, "Weak economic conditions in select markets and volatile commodity costs have pressured the Coke system's operating performance."

Currently, Coca-Cola's S&P rating is "A+," the fifth-highest investment-grade notch. The downwardly revised outlook indicates that the rating is in danger of being cut over the next one to two years. In response to S&P's "negative" label, CCE postponed pricing a previously announced, $1 billion bond issue.

Stout added that "reduced share repurchases at Coke could restore some financial flexibility to the Coke system," but warned, "weakening macroeconomic conditions, as well as further acquisitions at Coke, CCE, or CCHB will likely further weaken Coke system credit measures."

Continue reading Coca-Cola's outlook slashed at Standard & Poor's

Coca-Cola's outlook slashed at Standard & Poor's originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investing in a bipolar market: Take another peek at staples originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coca-Cola (KO) embarks on massive acquisition in China originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Red Bull enters the cola wars originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As Mel Brooks once said, "It's good to be the king." I often fantasize being a politician just for what it's worth after leaving office. We learned this week that Al Gore is now at least a centi-millionaire -- yes, he's worth over $100 million. That's a lot of global warming tacos.

An interesting exclusive article on Bloomberg.com is titled, "Pfizer, Exxon Find U.S. Justices as Shareholders May Cost Them." The premise of the article is that Supreme Court Justices' ownership of stocks occasionally requires them to side-step rulings, like this week's deadlock that allowed lawsuits over Pfizer's Rezulin diabetes drug. U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts owns the stock and needed to sit on the sidelines.

The same article cited Mark Herrmann, a product-liability lawyer at Jones Day in Chicago, as saying, "If you're on the industry side, it kills you that Roberts recused himself. That's your fifth vote.''

Bloomberg cites stocks either currently held or sold from in Chief Justice Roberts portfolio. They are:

Continue reading Supreme Court Justices going long the market

Supreme Court Justices going long the market originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hansen Natural (NASDAQ: HANS) was trading up $1.29 to $38.50 in pre-open trading.

UBS Warburg believes Coke (NYSE: KO) has been looking into a potential acquisition of HANS.

Stifel says: "We reiterate our Buy rating on HANS after shares declined yesterday following a note from an independent research firm."

HANS February option implied volatility of 74 is above its 26-week average of 60 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Option update 1-31-08: Hansen Natural volatility elevated on maturity and macro uncertainty originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Coca Cola's (NYSE: KO) strategy of acquiring premium non-carbonated beverage brands like Glacéau Vitamin Water appears poised to continue, with the company reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Honest Tea.

The eight year-old Bethesda, Maryland company has about $13.5 million in annual sales, and Coke is hoping that that number can grow as more healthful beverages take market share away from soda.

CNN Money quotes Beverage Digest editor John Sicher as saying that, "Honest is a very small brand, but has attracted attention due to its organic positioning. Linking up would be a positive for Coke."

Coke's strategy of using acquisitions to fight the decline in soft drink sales appears to be working, with sales expected to increase in the high single digits due to changes in the company's product mix. Look for Coke to continue making acquisitions like this one as it seeks to build stronger competitors for PepsiCo's (NYSE: PEP) Propel Fitness Water and Sobe brands.

Coca Cola close to a deal for Honest Tea originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 27 Dec 2007 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Couple of tough days ahead. We were overbought going into this Fed decision; now we will have to pay for it, and pay for it big. We have to lose a lot that we gained, expecting that the Fed would work hand-in-hand with the Treasury Department to get us out of this jam.

But that's not going to happen now. You can see what will happen. They will kill the banks again. The fundraising that was going on will be halted. We will get some failures. The homebuilder credit lines? Some will not be extended.

Continue reading Cramer on BloggingStocks: Boneheaded Fed means more pain ahead

Cramer on BloggingStocks: Boneheaded Fed means more pain ahead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Today's news that Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) will slow its planned growth in 2008 marks the second time this year that the low-cost carrier has reined in expansion as it struggles with high fuel costs. "We are concerned about growing evidence of slowing economic growth that would inevitably affect passenger demand, coupled with a surge in energy prices," Chief Executive Gary C. Kelly said in a statement.

Clearly the airline industry is challenged by high fuel costs and the prospect for slower domestic growth that would make it harder for no-frills carriers to fill their planes. As Douglas McIntyre pointed out, the saving grace for Southwest is that it has a long-term hedge on fuel prices and is buying fuel at a crude oil cost of about $51 a barrel.

What can airlines do to get profitable during this expensive fuel, slower-growth period? Well, charging customers a bit more so they can have a soda on the plane is probably not the right answer -- all it really does is make the airlines look incredibly cheap. The price airlines charge makes a drink at Yankee Stadium look cheap. How many of us have been on a plane and everyone is snickering and making comments to the person seated next to them about how they can't believe they need to pay for a Coke (NYSE: KO).

I think that airlines, like any business, need to show consumers that they are valued. Charging for a drink has the opposite effect. For an interesting take on airline improvements, read this post by Steve Towers.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. Disclosure: Writer has no position in any stock mentioned as of 12/04/07.

Southwest Airlines: Where is the LUV? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Stock prices continue to behave bearishly," caution David Nassar and Larry McMillan, options experts and editors of the industry-leading The MarketWatch Options Trader.

Here, they offer a bearish market overview along with a bullish look at beverage stocks -- along with an options play on PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP).

The advisors explain, "Rallies can't gain footholds, while declines are deeper and more long-lasting than seem possible. As a result, there is an oversold condition in this market -- one which can spur sharp, but short-lived rallies at any time -- but a true intermediate-term buy signal is not at hand, for none of our indicators have turned bullish.

"The Standard & Poor's 500 turned bearish when the index fell through what had been support at 1490. That was the last piece of the bearish puzzle. The market has been under extreme pressure ever since. Any rallies towards 1490 can be sold, as that level now represents resistance.

"Meanwhile, where is support? It was at 1430-1440, but that level gave way and it seems likely now that the averages will test 1410 (the August closing lows) and perhaps 1370 -- which is multiple support from both August and March.

"Should that give way, then a true bear market would be underway. Support levels are somewhat meaningless in a nasty decline like this anyway; it is more important to monitor oversold conditions.

Continue reading MarketWatch experts: Bearish on stocks; bullish on beverages

MarketWatch experts: Bearish on stocks; bullish on beverages originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.