Coca-Cola's new CEO can boast about something that billionaire Mag 7 members Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg can't
Brian Sozzi · Executive Editor
Tue, August 25, 2026 at 12:46 PM GMT+3 2 min read
It has been a good start to the CEO reign of Coca Cola's (KO) Henrique Braun, a company lifer who took over the corner office in March.
Shares of the beverage giant are trading at a record high, up 32% year to date alone. What's more, Coca-Cola shares — often thought of as a boring investment because hey they sell soda and juice —have out-performed every member of the Magnificent 7 tech complex this year per Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace data.
While Coke's stock has bubbled up, Mark Zuckerberg led Meta (META) is down by 15% and Elon Musk's Tesla (TSLA) is off by 22% (the latter being the worst performing Mag 7 member in 2026).
Score one for the expense watching middle managers at Coke…which is completely the opposite at the likes of Meta (aggressively building massive AI data centers) and Tesla (aggressively building robots and robotaxis).
The investment thesis at Coke has been a classic case of an old school consumer products business being reinvented, with a heavy dose of expense cuts and safe-haven appeal in an uncertain world.
Coca-Cola posted a solid second quarter, delivering $13.4 billion in net revenue (up 7% year-over-year) and a 16% jump in earnings per share to $1.03.
The outperformance was fueled by a 6% organic revenue increase and a 5% gain in global unit case volume, driven by high-margin products like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar alongside key international growth markets.
(KO )
91.99 +0.89 (+0.98%)
At close: August 24 at 4:00:02 PM EDT
Pricing power, operational efficiencies, and favorable currency tailwinds allowed the company to expand its comparable operating margins and raise its full-year earnings guidance.
Furthermore, investors have bid up shares as a premier defensive haven, seeking Coca-Cola's reliable cash flow and dividend stability amidst recent market volatility and fluctuating bond yields.
"KO continues to demonstrate why it's the leading large cap global beverage company and deserves a relative valuation ahead of recent history," EvercoreISI analyst Robert Ottenstein said in a note. "We believe it is a must own name for long-term income-oriented investors looking for the potential to compound returns at ~10% rate."
Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor, host of the 'Power Players With Brian Sozzi' podcast and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
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