The Coca-Cola Co.'s Senior Unsecured Notes With Various Maturities Rated 'A+'

NEW YORK (S&P Global Ratings) Feb. 25, 2019--S&P Global Ratings today assigned its 'A+' issue-level rating to Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co.'s (Coke's) proposed senior unsecured notes with various maturities ranging from 2021 to 2031. The company is drawing these notes under its shelf registration. We believe it will use the net proceeds to repay upcoming debt maturities and for general corporate purposes including acquisitions. Coca-Cola's business strength is underpinned by its very strong position as the world's largest nonalcoholic beverage company, anchored by well-known brands, good innovation and portfolio mix management, and above-average EBITDA margins. We believe this clearly outweighs the company's fairly narrow focus on nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages. Coke's financial flexibility over the next year is tight because of

...NEW YORK (S&P Global Ratings) Feb. 25, 2019--S&P Global Ratings today assigned its 'A+' issue-level rating to Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co.'s (Coke's) proposed senior unsecured notes with various maturities ranging from 2021 to 2031. The company is drawing these notes under its shelf registration. We believe it will use the net proceeds to repay upcoming debt maturities and for general corporate purposes including acquisitions. Coca-Cola's business strength is underpinned by its very strong position as the world's largest nonalcoholic beverage company, anchored by well-known brands, good innovation and portfolio mix management, and above-average EBITDA margins. We believe this clearly outweighs the company's fairly narrow focus on nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages. Coke's financial flexibility over the next year is tight because of mergers and acquisitions and a large dividend. The company recently closed on the $5.1 billion acquisition of Costa, which will likely keep leverage above...

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