Coca-Cola tops earnings estimates, hikes full-year outlook as demand for drinks climbs

Coca-Cola on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street's estimates, fueled by higher demand for its drinks.

The company also hiked its full-year forecast. Coke is now projecting comparable earnings per share growth of 9% to 10%, up from its prior forecast of 8% to 9%. It also expects organic revenue to increase about 5%, on the high end of its earlier range of 4% to 5%.

Coke reported second-quarter net income of $4.43 billion, or $1.03 per share, up from $3.81 billion, or 89 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding asset impairments, restructuring costs and other items, the company earned 97 cents per share.

Net sales rose 7% to $13.38 billion. Coke's organic revenue, which excludes acquisitions, divestitures and currency fluctuations, jumped 6% in the quarter.

The company's global unit case volume increased 5%, and every one of its reporting segments saw volume growth. The metric strips out pricing to reflect demand more accurately.

The consumer environment is "dynamic," CEO Henrique Braun said in a statement. The comment followed rival PepsiCo saying that shoppers' budgets tightened in the second quarter, leading to weaker sales in the U.S. for its snacks and drinks.

Global oil prices have swung dramatically due to the U.S. war with Iran, leading many consumers to temper their spending. In Coke's home market, the national average gas price hit a four-year high of $4.56 per gallon in late May.

But Coke's results do not show consumers cutting back. Even in North America, volume grew 3% in the quarter.

The company credited its global World Cup campaign with driving higher demand. Two drinks in particular, its namesake soda and Powerade, saw higher volumes that the company attributed, in part, to the tournament's marketing. Coke volume increased 5% and Powerade volume climbed 8% in the quarter.

Coke's water, sports, coffee and tea segment was the top performer this quarter, with volume growth of 6%. Out of those four categories, all but coffee saw their volume increase during the quarter.

Coke's sparkling soft drinks segment reported volume growth of 4%, helped in part by the lift in demand for its namesake soda and its line extensions. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar saw volume climbed 16%, while Diet Coke, or Coca-Cola Light as it is known in some markets, reported volume growth of 7%.