Topic: How To Invest

Q: Pat, would it be possible to get an opinion on Coca-Cola? Thank you.

Article Excerpt

A: The Coca-Cola Co., $68.82, symbol KO on New York (Shares outstanding: 4.3 billion; Market cap: $296.7 billion; www.coca-colacompany.com), is a multi-national beverage company. In 1886, Dr. John Pemberton created the syrup for the Coca-Cola soft drink. Four years later, The Coca-Cola Company came into being. Today, beverages bearing the company’s trademarks are sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Coca-Cola owns and markets more than 200 beverage brands. The company groups them into the following categories: Trademark Coca-Cola; sparkling flavours; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy and plant-based beverages; and emerging beverages. Coca-Cola owns and markets several of the world’s largest non-alcoholic sparkling soft drink brands. These include Coca-Cola, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, and Diet Coke/Coca-Cola Light. The company makes its beverages available to consumers through its network of independent bottling partners, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. Plus, it has its own bottling and distribution operations. Trademarks owned by or licensed to Coca-Cola account for 2.2 billion of the estimated 65…