Coca-cola (KO)

Coca-cola (KO)

KO is buying a minority stake in the BodyArmor sports drink brand backed by basketball stars Kobe Bryant, James Harden, baseball player Mike Trout, and other notable athletes. The investment would give BodyArmor access to Coca-Cola’s distribution platform and leave open the possibility of Coca-Cola taking full ownership of the brand in the future.

Coca-cola has agreed to buy coffee chain Costa for $5.1 billion in cash.

The purchase from Whitbread is priced about $1.3 billion more than analysts expected, but will give the firm almost 4,000 hot-beverage retail outlets, including 2,400 coffee shops in the U.K..

Hot beverages is one of the few remaining segments of the total beverage landscape where Coca-Cola does not have a global brand.

The deal is expected to complete in the first half of 2019 and analysts expect Coca-Cola to leverage its distribution network to supercharge Costa's expansion as it chases Starbucks and its almost 29,000 stores across 77 countries.

Coca-cola is reportedly in talks with Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis to make marijuana infused beverages. Sources suggest that the companies will develop health-focused products to ease inflammation, pain and cramping.

Coca-Cola is reporting earnings of $0.58 per share on revenues of $8.25 Billion for the quarter ending September 2018.

Analysts expected $0.55 per share on $8.17 Billion in sales.

KO attributes the above consensus results to strong demand for its Coca-Cola Zero Sugar product and other sparkling soft drinks.