Key Takeaways
- Coca-Cola stock is up 39% over the past year to a $94 close on October 16, after KFC picked Coke as its beverage partner for 3,718 US restaurants.
- The Street’s $95 mean target sits only 1% above the close.
- Current ratings stand at 12 buys, 7 outperforms, 4 holds, 1 no opinion, and 1 underperform, with buys down from 14 a year ago.
- BofA estimates the KFC account is worth about $500 million in annual sales, or about a 2.5% lift to Coca-Cola’s North America sales.
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) stock is up 38.9% over the past year, closing at $93.90 on October 16 after KFC signed Coca-Cola as the beverage partner for its US restaurants, ending a relationship with PepsiCo (PEP) that dates back about four decades.
That caps a year in which Coke kept taking ground from its oldest rival. The catch is the price: the Street’s mean target now sits just 1% above KO stock.
The Quarter That Reset Coca-Cola Stock
The first half of the chart was a steady climb, from a $69.91 close at the end of 2025 to $76.72 on April 3. The sharper step came after July 28, when Coca-Cola reported second-quarter results that beat Wall Street’s earnings and revenue estimates.
- Comparable EPS rose 11% to $0.97, ahead of the $0.93 analysts expected, as organic revenue grew 6% on 5% unit case volume growth.
- Comparable operating margin widened to 35.6% from 34.7%, and the company now expects 2026 comparable EPS growth of 9% to 10% from a $3 base.
KO stock moved from the low $80s into the high $80s within days of the report, then drifted back to $86.08 by September 30.
KFC Is Small Money but a Loud Signal for KO Stock
October brought two pieces of news from across the aisle. On October 8, PepsiCo cut its 2026 core EPS outlook to growth of 1% to 2% and said North American beverage volumes fell 2% in the third quarter. A week later, KFC confirmed the switch, with Coke products in its 3,718 US restaurants by spring 2027.
BofA put numbers on it: the account is worth about $500 million in annual sales, roughly a 3% hit to Pepsi’s North American concentrate sales and about a 2.5% lift to Coca-Cola’s North America sales. Jefferies flagged the bigger risk for PepsiCo as whether other long-held accounts are now open to bids.
KO stock closed at $92 on October 15 and added 2.07% to $93.90 the next day, leaving it 9.1% above its September 30 close by my math.
It’s the second long-held account Coke has landed this year. Asked on the Q2 earnings call about winning back Marriott, CEO Henrique Braun said: “we lost that right to be with them for not being consumer and customer-centric, and we earn it back because we are consumer and customer-centric like never before.”
The Street Is Running Behind Coca-Cola Stock
Analysts lifted their mean target 21.3% since late September 2025, from $78.10 to $94.74, but the stock moved faster. A year ago the mean sat 18.9% above the close; today the gap is 0.9%. The current split is 12 buys, 7 outperforms, 4 holds, 1 no opinion, and 1 underperform, with buys down from 14. The highest of the 23 published targets is $104.00, 10.8% above the close. That’s a Street that still rates the stock highly but has little room left in its targets.
Two Ways to Read Coca-Cola Stock at $93.90
The bull read: Coke is growing volume and margin while PepsiCo cuts forecasts, and KFC shows that share shift reaching restaurant fountains, not just store shelves. A 35.6% comparable margin and 9% to 10% EPS growth guidance back that up.
The bear read: KFC’s Coke rollout doesn’t finish until spring 2027, and BofA’s 2.5% lift is a one-time step up, not a new growth rate. Meanwhile, the price has already closed the gap to the Street’s $94.74 mean.
Coca-Cola earned this rally. From $93.90, though, the next leg needs analysts to raise their numbers again, and Coke’s third-quarter report is where that starts or doesn’t.
Want to see how close KO stock is to the Street’s targets on any given day? Pull up Coca-Cola’s price chart and full analyst target history on TIKR, free. Learn more here.
So what is Coca-Cola stock actually worth?
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Disclaimer:
Please note that the articles on TIKR are not intended to serve as investment or financial advice from TIKR or our content team, nor are they recommendations to buy or sell any stocks. We create our content based on TIKR Terminal’s investment data and analysts’ estimates. Our analysis might not include recent company news or important updates. TIKR has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading, and happy investing!
