Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund amends trust agreement to allow in-kind share transactions
Investing.com - UBS lowered its price target on Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) to $84.00 from $86.00 on Wednesday, while maintaining a Buy rating following the beverage giant’s second-quarter earnings report. With a current market capitalization of $297 billion and analyst targets ranging from $59.60 to $86.00, InvestingPro analysis suggests the stock is slightly overvalued at current levels.
The beverage company reported better-than-expected second-quarter results, with organic revenue growth, gross margin, and operating profit all exceeding analyst forecasts. The company’s impressive gross profit margin of 61.07% underscores its operational efficiency. Coca-Cola maintained its constant-currency earnings per share outlook for fiscal year 2025, with core EPS now tracking toward the high end of its guidance range due to less severe foreign exchange headwinds. InvestingPro subscribers can access 10+ additional exclusive insights about Coca-Cola’s financial health and growth prospects.
Despite the positive earnings report, Coca-Cola shares underperformed the Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) by 150 basis points on Wednesday. The updated company outlook implies low-single-digit EPS growth in the second half of 2025, which falls below Street expectations for mid-single-digit growth.
UBS noted that the revised guidance likely includes "ample flexibility" and suggested that fiscal year 2026 may be positioning as a strong year for Coca-Cola compared to industry peers. The firm highlighted that fundamental visibility remains a key factor for consumer staples investments in the current market environment.
The investment bank expressed increased conviction that Coca-Cola will continue delivering underlying top and bottom line growth at the high end of multinational peers, which UBS believes warrants a premium valuation for the stock.
In other recent news, Coca-Cola reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings, surpassing analyst expectations with an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.87, compared to the forecast of $0.83. However, the company’s actual revenue came in at $12.5 billion, slightly below the anticipated $12.55 billion. Despite this, Coca-Cola achieved a 5% growth in organic revenue, although unit cases saw a decline of 1%. Analysts at BofA Securities raised their price target for Coca-Cola to $78, maintaining a Buy rating, following the strong earnings performance. Similarly, Deutsche Bank (ETR:DBKGn) increased its price target to $81, expressing optimism about the company’s second-half prospects, including expected improvements in unit case sales volumes and productivity. CFRA also reiterated its Buy rating, highlighting that the earnings beat was driven by stronger-than-expected gross margins, which expanded to 62.4%. These developments reflect a positive outlook from analysts despite the slight revenue shortfall.
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.