Coca-Cola Consolidated (COKE) has released its third quarter and nine-month results through October 2, 2026, reporting higher sales, net income, and diluted earnings per share compared with the same periods last year.
Despite the earnings update on November 4, Coca-Cola Consolidated’s share price has eased in the very short term, falling 2.17% over one day and 1.15% over the past week. However, the 30-day share price return of 10.55% and year to date gain of 38.74% suggest momentum has been building, backed by a 1-year total shareholder return of 51.72% and a very large 5-year total shareholder return above 300%.
Scan beyond Coca-Cola Consolidated and look for beverage and consumer names showing similar momentum and financial strength in our hand picked list of 19 high quality undiscovered gems
After Coca-Cola Consolidated’s sharp multi year run and fresh earnings bump, the question now is whether the current price still offers more upside than downside for new buyers.
On current numbers, Coca-Cola Consolidated trades on a P/E of 23.7x, which sits above the global beverage peer group but below its more direct listed comparables. That sets up a clear question for investors weighing the $207.89 share price today, given the stock’s strong multi year total return profile.
The P/E ratio compares what you pay per share to the company’s earnings per share. For a mature bottler like Coca-Cola Consolidated, this metric often reflects how much confidence the market has in the durability of cash generation and pricing power across sparkling drinks, still beverages, and partner brands like Dr Pepper and Monster Energy.
With that in mind, a mid 20s earnings multiple can signal the market is willing to pay up for a long operating history, a focused US footprint, and earnings that are described as high quality. At the same time, the latest data shows earnings declined 4.3% over the past year and net profit margins moved from 8.6% to 7.5%, which raises a fair question about how much of the valuation is tied to the longer term record of 17.1% annual earnings growth over the past 5 years rather than the most recent period.
Compared with the wider Global Beverage industry average P/E of 17.3x, the stock trades on a meaningfully richer multiple. It is also described as expensive against that global group, even though the same 23.7x P/E is viewed as good value against a narrower peer set that averages 31.9x. That split highlights how much your reference point matters when judging whether the current earnings multiple is stretching too far or broadly in line with what similar bottlers trade on.
See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown.
Result: Price-to-Earnings of 23.7x (ABOUT RIGHT)
Still, the recent dip in Coca-Cola Consolidated’s share price and the softer net profit margin leave little room for disappointment if earnings momentum stalls or if input costs rise.
Find out about the key risks to this Coca-Cola Consolidated narrative.
The SWS DCF model offers a different lens on Coca-Cola Consolidated. On that framework, the current $207.89 share price sits above an estimated future cash flow value of $186.87, which frames the stock as overvalued on this measure and places greater emphasis on what happens to cash generation next.
Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value.
Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) on every stock in the world every day (check out Coca-Cola Consolidated for example). We show the entire calculation in full. You can track the result in your watchlist or portfolio and be alerted when this changes, or use our stock screener to discover 39 high quality undervalued stocks. If you save a screener we even alert you when new companies match - so you never miss a potential opportunity.
Mixed signals on Coca-Cola Consolidated’s valuation and earnings quality make this a moment to look closely at the numbers rather than the headlines. If you want a fuller picture of both the potential upside and the main concerns, start by reviewing the company's 1 key reward and 2 important warning signs.
You have already done the hard work by digging into Coca-Cola Consolidated. Do not stop here when a wider set of opportunities is only a few clicks away.
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