It's been a good week for The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) shareholders, because the company has just released its latest quarterly results, and the shares gained 9.0% to US$88.49. It looks like a credible result overall - although revenues of US$13b were in line with what the analysts predicted, Coca-Cola surprised by delivering a statutory profit of US$1.03 per share, a notable 12% above expectations. The analysts typically update their forecasts at each earnings report, and we can judge from their estimates whether their view of the company has changed or if there are any new concerns to be aware of. So we collected the latest post-earnings statutory consensus estimates to see what could be in store for next year.

Taking into account the latest results, Coca-Cola's 18 analysts currently expect revenues in 2026 to be US$49.7b, approximately in line with the last 12 months. Statutory per share are forecast to be US$3.35, approximately in line with the last 12 months. In the lead-up to this report, the analysts had been modelling revenues of US$49.1b and earnings per share (EPS) of US$3.29 in 2026. The consensus analysts don't seem to have seen anything in these results that would have changed their view on the business, given there's been no major change to their estimates.

The consensus price target rose 7.2% to US$94.70despite there being no meaningful change to earnings estimates. It could be that the analystsare reflecting the predictability of Coca-Cola's earnings by assigning a price premium. The consensus price target is just an average of individual analyst targets, so - it could be handy to see how wide the range of underlying estimates is. Currently, the most bullish analyst values Coca-Cola at US$104 per share, while the most bearish prices it at US$75.00. This shows there is still a bit of diversity in estimates, but analysts don't appear to be totally split on the stock as though it might be a success or failure situation.

One way to get more context on these forecasts is to look at how they compare to both past performance, and how other companies in the same industry are performing. We would highlight that revenue is expected to reverse, with a forecast 1.6% annualised decline to the end of 2026. That is a notable change from historical growth of 5.3% over the last five years. Compare this with our data, which suggests that other companies in the same industry are, in aggregate, expected to see their revenue grow 3.9% per year. So although its revenues are forecast to shrink, this cloud does not come with a silver lining - Coca-Cola is expected to lag the wider industry.

The Bottom Line

The most obvious conclusion is that there's been no major change in the business' prospects in recent times, with the analysts holding their earnings forecasts steady, in line with previous estimates. On the plus side, there were no major changes to revenue estimates; although forecasts imply they will perform worse than the wider industry. There was also a nice increase in the price target, with the analysts clearly feeling that the intrinsic value of the business is improving.

Following on from that line of thought, we think that the long-term prospects of the business are much more relevant than next year's earnings. We have forecasts for Coca-Cola going out to 2028, and you can see them free on our platform here.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.