The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores. The company sells its products under the Coca-Cola, Diet Coke/Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, caffeine free Diet Coke, Cherry Coke, Fanta Orange, Fanta Zero Orange, Fanta Zero Sugar, Fanta Apple, Sprite, Sprite Zero Sugar, Simply Orange, Simply Apple, Simply Grapefruit, Fresca, Schweppes, Thums Up, Aquarius, Ayataka, BODYARMOR, Ciel, Costa, Dasani, dogadan, FUZE TEA, Georgia, glacéau smartwater, glacéau vitaminwater, Gold Peak, Ice Dew, I LOHAS, Powerade, Topo Chico, AdeS, Del Valle, fairlife, innocent, Minute Maid, and Minute Maid Pulpy brands. It operates through a network of independent bottling partners, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, as well as through bottling and distribution operators. The company was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Coca-Cola Company (The)

Keeping your portfolio in shape is undoubtedly challenging, as the investment landscape evolves rapidly.
But the task can be more straightforward than some believe, as investors just need to show some initiative. For those looking to keep their portfolios in shape, here are a few pointers.
Weathering Volatility
Beta is a measure of a stock's systematic risk, or volatility, relative to the overall market. The S&P 500 is often used as the benchmark, with a beta of 1.0 representing the market average.
A beta greater than 1.0 indicates that a stock is more volatile than the market, while a beta less than 1.0 suggests the opposite. Essentially, low-beta stocks provide a higher level of ‘defense,’ whereas high-beta stocks are known for their higher returns, or ‘offense.’
Investors can use beta to help balance out their risk profile, helping during intense volatility spikes. A classic example of a low-beta stock is Coca-Cola KO.
Staying Updated
Regularly reviewing earnings reports and news releases is crucial for staying informed as an investor. These reports provide a wealth of information, including revenues, expenses, and profits. By keeping up with this data, you gain a deeper understanding of the business and can spot any potential ‘red flags.’
In addition, quarterly reports and news releases provide deeper insights into a company's strategy and plans. For example, the report may detail new products or services planned for launch or discuss plans to tap new markets.
By understanding a company's strategy, investors can more easily evaluate its long-term growth potential. Nvidia’s NVDA quarterly releases have been a great example of why investors can’t fall asleep behind the wheel.
Let Winners Run
The "Let Winners Run" and "Cut Losers" strategy is simple: Investors should hold onto stocks that are performing well to benefit from their continued growth and compounding returns while selling underperforming stocks to prevent further downside.
Of course, selling losers also frees up capital for better opportunities. The approach helps provide a portfolio that grows steadily over time by leveraging the strengths of successful stocks while minimizing the impact of the ‘bad apples.’
Bottom Line
Keeping a portfolio in shape can be challenging, but it’s certainly not as difficult when implementing some guardrails.
Managing volatility, staying up to date, and letting winners run are all recipes for portfolio success.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Tips to Keep Your Stock Portfolio in Shape

Key Points
Coca-Cola's operating margins hit 31.9%, reaching multi-year highs despite heavy currency headwinds.
North American revenue grew 4% year over year, outpacing PepsiCo's 2% growth in the same market.
Most importantly, Coca-Cola controlled its own fate with effective growth-boosting action in September.
Beverage giant Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) reported third-quarter results last week. The release held a few bullish surprises, starting with the headline numbers. Adjusted earnings rose 30% year over year to $0.82 per share while revenue increased 5% to $12.5 billion. The average Wall Street analyst would have settled for earnings near $0.78 per share on revenue in the neighborhood of $12.4 billion.
But the numbers never tell the whole story. Four of Coca-Cola's less heralded business details caught me by surprise -- in a good way.
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1. Operating margins
Coca-Cola's operating margins soared in the third quarter. This important operating metric stopped at 31.9%, up from 30.7% in the year-ago period. The trailing twelve-month average is now at a multi-year high, reaching levels not seen since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coca-Cola achieved this boost in spite of serious headwinds from a weakening dollar. That's real expansion, not accounting tricks. Management credited effective cost controls and solid consumer demand for this surprise. After years of hearing about productivity initiatives, they're actually dropping to Coca-Cola's bottom line. Beautiful.
2. North American resilience
Then there's the all-important North American operating segment. Everyone's worried about the U.S. consumer, right? But when you look at the numbers, Coke's North American revenue rose 4% year over year. That's faster than arch-rival PepsiCo's (NASDAQ: PEP) 2% gain in the same market.
And Coke didn't sacrifice bottom-line earnings to reach this stable plateau. Yes, marketing expenses increased -- but to a sensible degree. A beefy advertising budget would have weighed down the operating margins I talked about earlier. So it's a robust domestic performance despite tough macroeconomic conditions. That's not too shabby.
3. Diet Coke is coming back!
The next one came as a surprise to Coca-Cola's management, too. Everyone expects the newer and arguably better-tasting Coke Zero to take over the old Diet Coke product's role over time. Diet Coke has been sliding into obsolescence over the last decade, yielding shelf space to Coke Zero.
But that slide is reversing right now.
Diet Coke's case volumes rose 2% year over year -- far behind Zero's 14% gain but still a significant uptrend. People are buying the older product again in North America and Asia Pacific. And management won't mind adding some support to this unexpected trend.
Two formerly discontinued Diet Coke flavors are coming back to North America this fall, starting with a limited test run of Diet Coke Lime in October and the permanent return of Diet Coke Cherry in early 2026. I don't know how much of a difference these throwback launches will make, but Coca-Cola seems ready to take the right action based on real-world business data.
4. Coke took effective action in September
On that note, Coca-Cola showed that it can control its own fate in the third quarter. Business was rather slow in August as consumers faced economic uncertainty, particularly in Latin America and Asia. So the company took resolute action.
"Clearly we got a bit better in September, some sequential improvement," said CEO James Quincey on the earnings call. "That was a doubling down by the system, increases in marketing and focus in innovation from us working with the bottlers on some affordability and revenue management options and some step-ups in execution."
In other words, Coca-Cola didn't sit on its hands when some markets showed lower activity than expected. It sort of made its own weather, increasing the thirst for Coke products in a few lagging markets.
"I don't think the environment changed markedly in September from July and August," Quincey continued. "We just got more focused on drilling down into what needed to be done and to driving the quarter."
That's what I like to see in the C-suite -- an action-oriented management team with effective levers to pull when the market looks slow.
Should you invest $1,000 in Coca-Cola right now?
Before you buy stock in Coca-Cola, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Coca-Cola wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $590,287!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,173,807!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 195% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
*Stock Advisor returns as of October 27, 2025
Anders Bylund has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

4 Pleasant Surprises from Coca-Cola's Earnings Report Last Week

Looking today at week-over-week shares outstanding changes among the universe of ETFs covered at ETF Channel, one standout is the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (Symbol: SPY) where we have detected an approximate $2.5 billion dollar outflow -- that's a 0.4% decrease week over week (from 1,013,632,116 to 1,009,982,116). Among the largest underlying components of SPY, in trading today UnitedHealth Group Inc (Symbol: UNH) is up about 0.3%, Coca-Cola Co (Symbol: KO) is up about 0.8%, and Wells Fargo & Co (Symbol: WFC) is up by about 0.2%. For a complete list of holdings, visit the SPY Holdings page » The chart below shows the one year price performance of SPY, versus its 200 day moving average:
Looking at the chart above, SPY's low point in its 52 week range is $481.80 per share, with $687.225 as the 52 week high point — that compares with a last trade of $685.91. Comparing the most recent share price to the 200 day moving average can also be a useful technical analysis technique -- learn more about the 200 day moving average ».
Exchange traded funds (ETFs) trade just like stocks, but instead of ''shares'' investors are actually buying and selling ''units''. These ''units'' can be traded back and forth just like stocks, but can also be created or destroyed to accommodate investor demand. Each week we monitor the week-over-week change in shares outstanding data, to keep a lookout for those ETFs experiencing notable inflows (many new units created) or outflows (many old units destroyed). Creation of new units will mean the underlying holdings of the ETF need to be purchased, while destruction of units involves selling underlying holdings, so large flows can also impact the individual components held within ETFs.
Also see:
VC Next Dividend Date
CHWA Historical Stock Prices
Institutional Holders of CLNS
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Noteworthy ETF Outflows: SPY, UNH, KO, WFC

Bargain hunters are wise to pay careful attention to insider buying, because although there are many various reasons for an insider to sell a stock, presumably the only reason they would use their hard-earned cash to make a purchase, is that they expect to make money. Today we look at two noteworthy recent insider buys.
On Thursday, Rani Therapeutics Holdings', Mir Imran, made a $1.26M buy of RANI, purchasing 2,083,334 shares at a cost of $0.60 a piece. So far Imran is in the green, up about 228.9% on their purchase based on today's trading high of $1.99. Rani Therapeutics Holdings is trading up about 5.3% on the day Tuesday.
And on Friday, Director Max R. Levchin purchased $998,676 worth of Coca-Cola, purchasing 14,267 shares at a cost of $70.00 a piece. This purchase marks the first one filed by Levchin in the past twelve months. Coca-Cola is trading up about 0.5% on the day Tuesday.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Tuesday 10/28 Insider Buying Report: RANI, KO

Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for COCA-COLA CO (KO). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, KO rates highest using our Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Martin Zweig. This strategy looks for growth stocks with persistent accelerating earnings and sales growth, reasonable valuations and low debt.
COCA-COLA CO (KO) is a large-cap growth stock in the Beverages (Non-Alcoholic) industry. The rating using this strategy is 77% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
Detailed Analysis of COCA-COLA CO
More Information on Martin Zweig
About Martin Zweig: During the 15 years that it was monitored, Zweig's stock recommendation newsletter returned an average of 15.9 percent per year, during which time it was ranked number one based on risk-adjusted returns by Hulbert Financial Digest. Zweig has managed both mutual and hedge funds during his career, and he's put the fortune he's compiled to some interesting uses. He has owned what Forbes reported was the most expensive apartment in New York, a $70 million penthouse that sits atop Manhattan's Pierre Hotel, and he is a collector of all sorts of pop culture and historical memorabilia -- among his purchases are the gun used by Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry", a stock certificate signed by Commodore Vanderbilt, and even two old-fashioned gas pumps similar to those he'd seen at a nearby gas station while growing up in Cleveland, according to published reports.
Additional Research Links
Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio
High Shareholder Yield Stocks
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

KO Quantitative Stock Analysis - Martin Zweig

Key Points
P&G, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s can overcome this period of sluggish consumer spending.
Chevron continues to raise its dividend even in low-oil-price environments.
Visa doesn't need a booming economy to return gobs of cash to shareholders.
The S&P 500 is up 14.5% year to date and over 35% from its April lows. With valuations of many top companies extended, some investors may be wondering how long the market rally can last.
Investors looking for quality dividend stocks they can count on, even if there's a stock market sell-off, may want to take a closer look at stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. With just 30 components, each Dow company is an industry leader that represents its stock market sector.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »
Here's why Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Chevron (NYSE: CVX), and Visa (NYSE: V) are five Dow stocks that stand out as particularly good buys for passive income in 2026 and beyond.
Two of the highest-quality dividend stocks the market has to offer
Despite their different industries, Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola are two very similar investment opportunities.
P&G has brands spanning multiple household and personal care categories for everyday use, including Tide laundry detergent, Gillette razors, Crest toothpaste, Pampers diapers, and more. Beyond its flagship soda, Coca-Cola owns Minute Maid, Topo Chico, Fairlife, Costa Coffee, BodyArmor, Sprite, Fanta, and more.
Both companies have seen sales and earnings growth dip in recent years as consumers pull back on spending. But because of their elite supply chains, marketing, and high margins, they have still been able to generate solid earnings and free cash flow to support their growing payouts.
Procter & Gamble has paid and raised its dividend for 69 consecutive years, while Coke has a 63-year streak -- making them Dividend Kings, which are companies that have at least 50 straight years of dividend raises.
Because of their consistent dividend increases, P&G and Coke have historically fetched premium valuations relative to the S&P 500. But both stocks are a great value right now, with P&G sporting a mere 21.8 forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio compared to a 10-year median of 25.7. Meanwhile, Coke has a 23.9 forward P/E compared to a 10-year median of 27.7.
P&G yields 2.8% and Coke yields 3%, making both stocks excellent choices for value investors looking to boost their passive income.
McDonald's is as recession-resistant as it gets in the restaurant industry
Many restaurant companies are struggling as consumers are looking to stretch their dollars. McDonald's has a history of providing tasty food, drinks, and snacks at affordable prices. But even its costs have gone up due to inflationary pressures.
Still, McDonald's has done a great job getting customers in the door with its mobile ordering, in-app rewards and deals, new menu items, and the return of its iconic Monopoly game, which lets customers experience the thrill of peeling pieces off select items and earning digital rewards.
Roughly 95% of McDonald's stores are owned by franchises -- which leads to consistent cash flow and high margins for McDonald's corporate. The business model makes McDonald's highly resistant to recessions.
With 49 consecutive years of increasing its payout and a 2.3% yield, McDonald's is a "safe" bet for generating dividend income.
Chevron's dividend is reliable despite swings in oil and gas prices
Oil prices are hovering around five-year lows due to lower demand and higher supply. In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. Energy Information Administration forecast a 2 million barrel per day increase in 2025 liquid fuels, largely due to higher production from non-OPEC+ countries like the U.S.
Low oil prices have led to sell-offs across the energy sector, especially for exploration and production companies. So, investors may be wondering why Chevron is up by more than 6% year to date.
Chevron is one of the highest-quality energy stocks due to its multiple production regions, massive downstream segment, and growing low-carbon business. The integrated major has a low cost of production, which allows it to generate positive cash flow even when prices are lower.
With 38 years of dividend raises and a 4.5% yield, Chevron stands out as a top high-yield dividend stock to buy now.
Visa has a near-perfect business model for returning cash to shareholders
Visa is by far the lowest-yielding stock on this list, with just a 0.7% yield. For context, the S&P 500 yields 1.2%. With a yield that low, you may be wondering if Visa even deserves to be considered a quality dividend stock. Visa is a great example of why it's more important to look at a company's entire capital return program rather than just its dividend.
For the nine months ended June 30, 2025, Visa paid $3.49 billion in dividends but $13.39 billion in stock buybacks. In other words, if it had used all of that money on dividends and didn't buy back stock, Visa would have a dividend yield around 2.7%.
The buybacks have been a better use of capital than dividends for shareholders, as Visa stock has crushed the S&P 500 over the long term. And by consistently buying back stock, Visa reduced its share count by 19.4% over the past decade, making the stock a better value because a lower share count boosts earnings per share.
As a payment processor, Visa collects transaction fees based on the volume and frequency of customer and business usage on its debit and credit cards. The banks and financial institutions that issue those cards bear the credit risk, not Visa.
Add it all up, and Visa's high margins and high cash flow business model make it an excellent stock for risk-averse investors to buy in 2026.
Should you invest $1,000 in Procter & Gamble right now?
Before you buy stock in Procter & Gamble, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Procter & Gamble wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $590,287!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,173,807!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,047% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 195% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
*Stock Advisor returns as of October 27, 2025
Daniel Foelber has positions in Procter & Gamble. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chevron and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Worried About a Stock Market Sell-Off? Consider These 5 Dow Jones Dividend Stocks For 2026.

Key Points
Coca-Cola sells a product that has proven its recession resiliency.
Payout royalty, the stock is a Dividend King after more than 50 years of annual distribution hikes.
Coca-Cola's low beta implies it will be less volatile in the next market downturn.
If the market runs dry, you're going to want a liquid investment. And if there's one thing that Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) knows well, it's liquid. Beyond its namesake soft drinks, Coca-Cola covers a lot of beverage stock categories, including water, coffee, tea, sports drinks, juice, and dairy products.
Coca-Cola's flagship beverage is bubbly, and some may argue that the same can be said about today's market. A pullback is inevitable, even if it takes weeks, months, or years to happen. So why should you buy shares of the pop star if you're worried about a bear market? Stay close. I have a list of reasons I think you should. Crack open a can -- or bottle -- and let's dive right in.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »
1. It's a low-cost indulgence
Coca-Cola is considered a defensive consumer-staples giant. While it does provide a premium-priced product -- at least relative to private-label store-brand cola or tap water -- it's a reasonably priced indulgence. It's considered an "affordable luxury" in the eyes of economists.
When times are tough, a sugary soda provides a boost and temporary escapism. Most of Coca-Cola's product portfolio consists of beverages that are priced for most budgets, so it's not a surprise to see the company itself prove resilient during the market's darkest stretches. The Great Recession -- the longest recession in the U.S. since World War II -- officially lasted through all of 2008 and the first half of 2009. How did Coca-Cola hold up? Well, its revenue rose 11% in 2008. It did post a 3% top-line decline in 2009, but its case volume still grew by 3% that year. In short, when it comes to weathering an economic setback, investing in Coca-Cola is it.
2. Dividend checks keep coming and growing
A safe harbor when stocks are getting rattled is a quarterly dividend check. The payouts are welcome bursts of incremental income in a sea of downticks, and Coca-Cola is more than just a dividend stock. The beverage bellwether is a Dividend King, jacking up its distribution rate for 63 consecutive years.
Do you know how many bear markets have growled in that time? There have been at least 10 bear markets over the past six decades in which stocks plummeted by more than 20%. Coca-Cola kept boosting its dividend annually through all of them.
Even better, as a stock drops, the yield for new investments grows larger. Coca-Cola's 2.9% yield would jump to 3.5% if the shares slipped 20%. This is before including the dividend itself that should continue to grow with every passing year.
3. Having a low beta is a good thing in a downturn
Suggesting that Coca-Cola stock would decline 20% in a bear market -- as I did in illustrating the power of rising dividends in that last point -- isn't fair. The lord of liquidity should hold up better than the overall market averages in a downturn.
Coca-Cola is a low-beta stock. Its five-year beta is a mere 0.42, suggesting that the shares have 42% of the volatility of the overall market. Its one-year beta is an even lower 0.19.
4. It's steady like a beating drum
Coca-Cola may not seem cheap, given its historically modest growth. It's trading for 22 times forward earnings. And don't be surprised if analysts keep nudging their profit targets higher. Coca-Cola routinely lands ahead of Wall Street expectations on the bottom line. Just check out how analysts have undershot Coca-Cola's reality since the start of last year.
Period
EPS Estimate
Actual EPS
Surprise
Q1 2024
$0.70
$0.72
3%
Q2 2024
$0.81
$0.84
4%
Q3 2024
$0.75
$0.77
3%
Q4 2024
$0.52
$0.55
6%
Q1 2025
$0.72
$0.73
2%
Q2 2025
$0.84
$0.87
4%
Q3 2025
$0.78
$0.82
5%
Data source: Yahoo! Finance. EPS = earnings per share (adjusted).
From betas to beats, it's hard to resist the allure of Coca-Cola. Its historically low volatility is made for bear markets. It also has some impressive streaks of bottom-line beats and dividend increases. Toss in the recession-resistant nature of its global product offerings, and you have a stock built in a lab -- or a pharmacy soda fountain in Atlanta -- to weather the next bear market as well as it has the previous market setbacks.
Should you invest $1,000 in Coca-Cola right now?
Before you buy stock in Coca-Cola, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Coca-Cola wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $590,357!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,141,748!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,033% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
*Stock Advisor returns as of October 27, 2025
Rick Munarriz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Worried About a Bear Market? 4 Reasons to Buy Coca-Cola Stock Like There's No Tomorrow.

Key Points
One of Berkshire Hathaway's longest-held positions is a familiar, easy-to-own pick that works well in most portfolios.
Berkshire doesn't own a piece of fast-food chain McDonald's, but it certainly has many of the qualities Warren Buffett likes in an investment prospect.
Even though Buffett is well known for his stock-picking prowess, he encourages most ordinary investors not to try it.
If 2025 is the year you're first getting into the market, you've picked a wild one to get started. A small number of massive technology companies have soared thanks to their involvement with artificial intelligence (AI), dragging the overall market higher with them.
This kind of mania isn't the norm though. And it will unwind sooner or later, deflating most portfolio values when it does.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »
Not every stock is going to take you on a roller-coaster ride, however, just as not every stock is overvalued. Indeed, with the exception of the small number of AI-related stocks that have been catapulted higher of late, most stocks remain reasonably valued.
If I were just getting started today with $1,000, here's a closer look at the three stocks I'd start with, and why I think Warren Buffett -- who generally avoids or ignores short-term volatility -- would approve of each one.
1. Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) is of course one of the world's most recognized brand names, and the most recognized brand name in the non-alcoholic beverage business. It's not just its namesake cola, though. The Coca-Cola Company also owns Gold Peak tea, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drink, Dasani water, and plenty more. It's got something for every consumer's ever-changing preferences.
Now, if you've been keeping tabs on the organization lately then you likely know Coca-Cola's performance during the past couple of quarters has been less than thrilling despite its diverse product lineup. Its recently reported Q3 results indicated a reversal from Q2's dip in the amount of total product sold, but only a slight one. Sales and earnings also topped expectations thanks to top-line growth of 5%, yet Coca-Cola's management also made a point of saying that overall demand for its packaged drinks remains relatively soft; smaller, more affordable package sizes are in the works.
Just don't read too much into this warning, or for that matter, the overarching consumerism headwind. This is all cyclical stuff that the company's been through and survived before. This time around isn't apt to be any different. Coca-Cola will be able to regroup just fine and thrive again once the economic backdrop improves.
Warren Buffett encourages investors to only buy into quality businesses they truly understand. Coca-Cola ticks off both boxes. It's a simple business to assess, and as a long-lived market leader, there's no denying it's a quality company.
There's far more evidence than this that Buffett would approve of a newcomer owning a stake in The Coca-Cola Company, though. That is, the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) company he's led for decades actually owns a sizable stake in the beverage giant. It's Berkshire's fourth-biggest individual stock holding, in fact, currently worth around $28 billion.
McDonald's
Berkshire Hathaway doesn't hold a stake in fast-food powerhouse McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), but it's not as if Buffett wouldn't, or couldn't. Like Coca-Cola, it offers much of what he likes in a prospective investment.
One of those attributes is a reliable, growing dividend. Although its forward-looking dividend yield of 2.4% is just average, it's based on a dividend that's now been raised every year for the past 49 years, which has allowed McDonald's stock to perform like a growth stock when reinvesting these dividend payments. There's no end to the streak in sight either.
Of course, the fast-food restaurant chain's raw dominance of the industry's landscape speaks for itself. There's a reason the company's been able to establish an industry-leading 44,113 stores all over the world. That is, like Coca-Cola, it's gotten very, very good at lifestyle branding. And like Coca-Cola, this company's struggled to keep cash-crimped consumers stopping by for its burgers. Also like Coca-Cola, however, this headwind will pass for McDonald's.
But that's not the chief reason you or Buffett might want to consider following the stock's lethargic performance since late last year, and really, since the middle of 2023. The overarching reason this company translates into such a fantastic investment is the business model itself.
See, contrary to a common assumption, McDonald's isn't actually in the fast-food business. It's mostly a real estate company that just happens to lease 95% of its stores to fast-food franchisees, collecting ever-rising market-rate rent from them -- reliable cash flow that Buffett loves, particularly from Berkshire's non-publicly traded holdings like Fruit of the Loom, Pilot Travel Centers, Duracell, and Geico insurance, just to name a few. The bulk of the risk of being in the business is ultimately shouldered by the franchisees themselves.
Again, Buffett's a big fan of businesses that are easy to understand, as well as businesses that lead their respective markets for obvious reasons. As was the case with Coca-Cola, McDonald's does both.
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust
Finally, if you're an investor who's just getting started and only have $1,000 to start with, consider allocating at least a good-sized chunk of this sum to an investment in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEMKT: SPY).
It's not a stock. Rather, it's a basket of stocks that are bought and sold as a whole. In this case the basket holds the same 500 tickers that make up the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) index, in the same proportions. This is about as close to investing in the overall market as you're going to be able to get.
The thing is, for most people -- newbies and veterans alike -- it's a smart choice for at least a sizable portion of your portfolio.
Most individual investors don't beat the market. Don't be too discouraged, though. Most professional stock pickers don't beat the market either. Data regularly updated by Standard & Poor's indicates that most mutual funds available to investors in the United States consistently underperform their benchmark indexes like the aforementioned S&P 500. And hedge funds fare no better, despite being managed by what are supposed to be the best and brightest stars. It's just hard to beat the market's performance, and even harder to do so consistently.
If you want to play the odds, so to speak, your best bet isn't trying to beat the market, but rather merely matching its long-term average annual gain of around 10%.
Buffett's suggested the same, and more than once. The most recent instance came in 2020, when at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting of shareholders he explained: "In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is to own the S&P 500 index fund. People will try and sell you other things because there's more money in it for them if they do."
Enough said. Even if it's not the most exciting of holdings, it's a great foundational position to build on with individual stocks as new money is added to your account.
Should you invest $1,000 in Coca-Cola right now?
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James Brumley has positions in Coca-Cola. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

How I'd Invest My First $1,000 in Stocks (and Why Buffett Would Approve)

In the global beverage battleground, few rivalries are as iconic as the one between The Coca-Cola Company KO and PepsiCo, Inc. PEP. These two titans dominate the thirst-quenching industry, commanding an overwhelming share of the global soft drink market while expanding far beyond fizzy colas into snacks, juices, energy drinks and bottled water.
Coca-Cola reigns supreme in the carbonated beverages segment, leveraging its timeless brand and vast international reach, while PepsiCo wields its diversified empire, spanning beverages to food giants like Lay’s and Doritos, to balance growth across multiple categories.
Together, these companies shape consumer preferences and redefine refreshment itself, yet their contrasting business models and strategic priorities set the stage for a fascinating duel overglobal marketleadership and future dominance.
The Case for KO
Coca-Cola’s investment case shines through its enduring market dominance, strategic agility and diversified global reach. The company commands one of the largest shares of the non-alcoholic ready-to-drink market and has now achieved 18 consecutive quarters of value share gains. Its extensive beverage portfolio, spanning sparkling soft drinks, juices, dairy, hydration and energy categories, enables Coca-Cola to stay relevant across demographics and income segments.
North America continues to drive performance with sequential volume improvement, while fast-growing regions like India, Brazil and Africa underpin longer-term growth through affordability-led expansion and localized innovation.
Coca-Cola’s all-weather business model blends brand strength with operational efficiency. The company’s digital-first marketing transformation is deepening consumer engagement through personalized and culturally resonant campaigns, such as Fanta’s global Halloween collaboration. Meanwhile, its ongoing refranchising efforts, most recently in India and Africa, are sharpening focus on core competencies, driving operating margin expansion and freeing capital for innovation.
KO’s portfolio balances affordability and premiumization, highlighted by offerings like mini-cans, smartwater, Topo Chico and fairlife, positioning it to cater to evolving lifestyles and health-conscious consumers alike. These moves reinforce its strategic flywheel of marketing excellence, innovation and execution.
Coca-Cola delivered 6% organic revenue growth in third-quarter 2025, with margin expansion despite currency and cost headwinds. Strong free cash flow generation, projected near $10 billion, supports continued reinvestment and shareholder returns. While tariff and trade frictions, including Mexico’s sugar tax, pose near-term risks, Coca-Cola’s adaptable pricing strategy, efficient supply chain and robust system partnerships leave it well-equipped to sustain profitable growth and long-term value creation.
The Case for PEP
PepsiCo remains a global powerhouse with a balanced and diversified model that spans beverages and convenient foods, commanding a formidable share of the global refreshment market. Its beverage arm, led by flagship brands like Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Gatorade, continues to expand across categories, from energy and functional hydration to modern sodas like poppi.
Meanwhile, its food segment, anchored by Frito-Lay, Quaker and Sun Chips, contributes roughly half of overall revenues, making PepsiCo unique in the consumer staples universe. The company’s international business, which accounts for about 40% of total net revenues, continues to deliver consistent mid-single-digit growth, with strong market share gains in two-thirds of its top beverage markets and broad-based strength in permissible snacking.
PepsiCo’s growth engine is powered by relentless innovation and digital acceleration. Its transformation agenda emphasizes portfolio reshaping, automation and AI-led efficiency, including a leaner SKU base and optimized price-pack architecture to cater to affordability and premiumization trends alike. In beverages, the company’s focus on functional and health-oriented innovations, like Pepsi Prebiotic, Gatorade Lower Sugar, and Propel Protein Water, is expanding its reach among wellness-conscious consumers.
The company’s global snacks revamp, with offerings like Lay’s and Doritos NKD (no artificial colors or flavors), underscores its effort to future-proof its portfolio and appeal to next-generation shoppers seeking transparency and nutrition without compromise.
PepsiCo delivered nearly 3% reported net revenue growth in third-quarter 2025, marking its 18th consecutive quarter of resilient international momentum. Despite a three-percentage-point EPS headwind from tariffs and global input costs, the company’s cost-reduction programs, sourcing flexibility and digital productivity drive are offsetting inflationary pressures. As PepsiCo continues to modernize operations and sharpen execution, it is positioning itself as an agile, innovation-driven leader, well-equipped to sustain long-term growth and shareholder value in a volatile trade and tariff environment.
Price Performance & Valuation of KO & PEP
Shares of PepsiCo have moved higher in the past three months, buoyed by strong third-quarter 2025 results and an encouraging earnings outlook. The company witnessed accelerated net revenue growth compared with the previous quarter, underscoring its ability to perform amid a complex operating environment. International momentum remained a key strength, while North America showed signs of recovery through sharper execution and improved competitiveness across major subcategories and channels.
In contrast, Coca-Cola’s stock has witnessed muted growth in the same period despite a solid third-quarter performance and steady global execution. The divergence highlights shifting investor sentiment, with growing optimism around PepsiCo’s operational turnaround and margin-improvement efforts. In the past three months, PEP shares have rallied 7%, while the KO stock has risen 2.3%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, PEP currently trades at a lower forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 17.88X compared with Coca-Cola’s 21.94X, making it more attractively priced, driven by its earnings and diversified revenue stream.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
The PEP stock looks cheap from a valuation perspective. Moreover, its diversity, pricing power and innovation engine make it a compelling long-term holding, especially for those seeking both growth and downside protection.
Coca-Cola does seem pricey. However, its valuations reflect its strong brand equity, disciplined capital strategy and exposure to high-growth regions, making it a resilient pick for long-term portfolios. If the company sustains its execution, the premium may be warranted.
How Does Zacks Consensus Estimate Compare for PEP & KO?
PepsiCo’s EPS estimates for 2025 and 2026 moved up 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively, in the last seven days. PEP’s 2025 revenues are projected to increase 1.8% year over year to $93.5 billion, while EPS is expected to decline 0.6% year over year to $8.11.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Coca-Cola’s EPS estimates for 2025 and 2026 have moved up by a penny in the past seven days. KO’s 2025 revenues and EPS are expected to increase 2.8% and 3.5% year over year, respectively, to $48.4 billion and $2.98 per share.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
PEP vs. KO: Who Has the Edge?
In the ultimate face-off between Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the scale tilts toward PepsiCo, thanks to its stronger near-term performance, attractive valuation and growth potential. The company’s diversified portfolio, spanning beverages and snacks, offers multiple profit engines and resilience against category-specific slowdowns. Its recent rally underscores investor confidence in the brand’s revitalized innovation agenda, digital transformation and operational efficiency.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola continues to excel in core beverage dominance and brand legacy but lacks the same breadth of growth drivers that PepsiCo’s multi-category structure provides.
PepsiCo’s cheaper valuation relative to its rival amplifies its investment appeal, particularly given its consistent international momentum and robust execution in North America. The recent upward revision in earnings estimates reflects optimism about its capacity to sustain profitability and margin expansion, even amid tariff and supply-chain pressures. In this beverage duel, PepsiCo emerges as the more balanced, growth-oriented choice, blending value, innovation and long-term shareholder potential.
PEP currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and KO has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Coca-Cola Vs. PepsiCo: Which Beverage Giant is Poised for the Top Spot?

Below is Validea's guru fundamental report for COCA-COLA CO (KO). Of the 22 guru strategies we follow, KO rates highest using our Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Martin Zweig. This strategy looks for growth stocks with persistent accelerating earnings and sales growth, reasonable valuations and low debt.
COCA-COLA CO (KO) is a large-cap growth stock in the Beverages (Non-Alcoholic) industry. The rating using this strategy is 77% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
Detailed Analysis of COCA-COLA CO
More Information on Martin Zweig
About Martin Zweig: During the 15 years that it was monitored, Zweig's stock recommendation newsletter returned an average of 15.9 percent per year, during which time it was ranked number one based on risk-adjusted returns by Hulbert Financial Digest. Zweig has managed both mutual and hedge funds during his career, and he's put the fortune he's compiled to some interesting uses. He has owned what Forbes reported was the most expensive apartment in New York, a $70 million penthouse that sits atop Manhattan's Pierre Hotel, and he is a collector of all sorts of pop culture and historical memorabilia -- among his purchases are the gun used by Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry", a stock certificate signed by Commodore Vanderbilt, and even two old-fashioned gas pumps similar to those he'd seen at a nearby gas station while growing up in Cleveland, according to published reports.
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About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.