The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company today approved the company’s 60th consecutive annual dividend increase, raising the quarterly dividend approximately 5 percent from 42 cents to 44 cents per common share.
The quarterly dividend is equivalent to an annual dividend of $1.76 per share, up from $1.68 per share in 2021. The first quarter dividend is payable April 1 to shareowners of record as of March 15.
The company returned $7.3 billion in dividends to shareowners in 2021, bringing the total amount of dividends paid to shareowners since Jan. 1, 2010, to $69.2 billion.
Share repurchase program
The company’s capital allocation priorities continue to balance financial flexibility with an efficient capital structure. Based on its positive outlook, the company expects to resume share repurchases in 2022, with net share repurchases (non-GAAP) of approximately $500 million for the year. The ultimate amount and timing of share repurchases will be determined over the course of the year, subject to the company’s discretion based on various factors.
Any share repurchases would occur under the board’s current authorizations, which authorize the repurchase of approximately 160 million shares. The board may modify, extend or terminate the share repurchase program at any time. The company’s initial share repurchase program began in 1984.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak, Honest and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Outlook
The 2022 outlook for net share repurchases is a forward-looking non-GAAP financial measure that reflects the net amount of purchases of stock for treasury after considering proceeds from the issuances of stock, the net change in stock issuance receivables (related to employee stock options exercised but not settled prior to the end of the period) and the net change in treasury stock payables (for treasury shares repurchased but not settled prior to the end of the period). The company is not able to reconcile full year 2022 projected net share repurchases to full year 2022 reported purchases of stock for treasury without unreasonable efforts because it is not possible to predict with a reasonable degree of certainty the actual amount and timing of stock issuance activity that will occur throughout 2022.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements, estimates or projections that constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Generally, the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “project,” “will” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. All statements that address events that the Company expects or anticipates will occur in the future – including statements relating to the amount (if any) of future dividends and the amount (if any) and timing of future share repurchases – are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause The Coca-Cola Company’s actual results to differ materially from its historical experience and our present expectations or projections. These risks include, but are not limited to, the negative impacts of, and continuing uncertainties associated with the scope, severity and duration of the global COVID-19 pandemic and any resurgences of the pandemic, including the number of people contracting the virus, the impact of shelter-in-place and social distancing requirements, the impact of governmental actions across the globe to contain the virus, vaccine availability, rates of vaccination, the effectiveness of vaccines against existing and new variants of the virus, governmental or other vaccine mandates and potential associated business and supply chain disruptions, and the substance and pace of the post-pandemic economic recovery; an inability to realize the economic benefits from our productivity initiatives, including our reorganization and related strategic realignment initiatives; an inability to attract or retain a highly skilled and diverse workforce; increased competition; an inability to renew collective bargaining agreements on satisfactory terms, or we or our bottling partners experience strikes, work stoppages, labor shortages or labor unrest; an inability to be successful in our innovation activities; changes in the retail landscape or the loss of key retail or foodservice customers; an inability to expand operations in emerging and developing markets; increased cost, disruption of supply or shortage of energy or fuel; inflationary pressures; increased cost, disruption of supply or shortage of ingredients, other raw materials, packaging materials, aluminum cans and other containers; an inability to successfully manage new product launches; obesity and other health-related concerns; evolving consumer product and shopping preferences; product safety and quality concerns; perceived negative health consequences of certain ingredients, such as non-nutritive sweeteners and biotechnology-derived substances, and of other substances present in our beverage products or packaging materials; damage to our brand image, corporate reputation and social license to operate from negative publicity, whether or not warranted, concerning product safety or quality, workplace and human rights, obesity or other issues; an inability to maintain good relationships with our bottling partners; deterioration in our bottling partners’ financial condition; an inability to successfully integrate and manage consolidated bottling operations or other acquired businesses or brands; an inability to successfully manage our refranchising activities; increases in income tax rates, changes in income tax laws or the unfavorable resolution of tax matters, including the outcome of our ongoing tax dispute or any related disputes with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”); the possibility that the assumptions used to calculate our estimated aggregate incremental tax and interest liability related to the potential unfavorable outcome of the ongoing tax dispute with the IRS could significantly change; increased or new indirect taxes in the United States and throughout the world; changes in laws and regulations relating to beverage containers and packaging; significant additional labeling or warning requirements or limitations on the marketing or sale of our products; litigation or legal proceedings; conducting business in markets with high-risk legal compliance environments; failure to adequately protect, or disputes relating to, trademarks, formulae and other intellectual property rights; changes in, or failure to comply with, the laws and regulations applicable to our products or our business operations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; interest rate increases; unfavorable general economic conditions in the United States and international markets; an inability to achieve our overall long-term growth objectives; default by or failure of one or more of our counterparty financial institutions; impairment charges; failure to realize a significant portion of the anticipated benefits of our strategic relationship with Monster Beverage Corporation; an inability to protect our information systems against service interruption, misappropriation of data or breaches of security; failure to comply with personal data protection and privacy laws; failure to digitize the Coca-Cola system; failure by our third-party service providers and business partners to satisfactorily fulfill their commitments and responsibilities; failure to achieve ESG goals and accurately report our progress due to operational, financial, legal, and other risks, many of which are outside our control, and are dependent on the actions of our bottling partners and other third parties; increasing concerns about the environmental impact of plastic bottles and other packaging materials; water scarcity and poor quality; increased demand for food products and decreased agricultural productivity; climate change and legal or regulatory responses thereto; adverse weather conditions; and other risks discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and our subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which filings are available from the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements.
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