Comprehensive Stock Comparison
Compare Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE) vs Walmart Inc. (WMT) Stock
Analyze side-by-side fundamentals, valuation, growth, and profitability to decide which stock is the better buy.
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Quick Verdict
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Growth | COKE | 4.8% revenue growth vs WMT's 4.7% |
| Value | COKE | Lower P/E (29.7x vs 43.8x), PEG 0.99 vs 3.98 |
| Quality / Margins | COKE | 8.7% net margin vs WMT's 3.3% |
| Stability / Safety | COKE | Beta 0.33 vs WMT's 0.53 |
| Dividends | WMT | 0.7% yield, 37-year raise streak, vs COKE's 0.5% |
| Momentum (1Y) | COKE | +43.5% vs WMT's +30.7% |
| Efficiency (ROA) | COKE | 10.8% ROA vs WMT's 7.9%, ROIC 35.0% vs 14.7% |
Who Each Stock Is For
Income & stability
Growth exposure
Long-term compounding (10Y)
Sleep-well-at-night portfolio
Valuation efficiency (growth/$)
Defensive / Recession hedge
Business Model
What each company does and how it makes money
Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, manufacturing and distributing Coca-Cola products across 14 states. It generates revenue primarily through beverage sales—sparkling drinks like Coke and Sprite (~60% of sales) and still beverages including water, tea, and energy drinks (~40%)—with distribution to retailers, restaurants, and vending outlets. Its key advantage is exclusive territorial rights to produce and distribute Coca-Cola products in its operating regions, creating a protected geographic moat.
Walmart is the world's largest retailer operating a vast network of physical stores and e-commerce platforms. It generates revenue primarily through retail sales — with Walmart U.S. contributing about 65% of total revenue, Walmart International around 20%, and Sam's Club membership warehouse clubs roughly 15%. Its key competitive advantage is massive scale and supply chain efficiency, enabling everyday low prices that competitors struggle to match.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
How each company's revenue is distributed across its business units
Financial Metrics Comparison
Side-by-side fundamentals across 2 stocks. BestLagging
Financial Scorecard
COKE leads in 5 of 6 categories (Financial Metrics, Valuation Metrics). WMT leads in 1 (Analyst Outlook).
Financial Metrics (TTM)
WMT is the larger business by revenue, generating $703.1B annually — 99.4x COKE's $7.1B. COKE is the more profitable business, keeping 8.7% of every revenue dollar as net income compared to WMT's 3.3%.
| Metric | COKECoca-Cola Consoli… | WMTWalmart Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| RevenueTrailing 12 months | $7.1B | $703.1B |
| EBITDAEarnings before interest/tax | $1.1B | $42.8B |
| Net IncomeAfter-tax profit | $612M | $22.9B |
| Free Cash FlowCash after capex | $598M | $15.3B |
| Gross MarginGross profit ÷ Revenue | +39.8% | +24.9% |
| Operating MarginEBIT ÷ Revenue | +13.1% | +4.1% |
| Net MarginNet income ÷ Revenue | +8.7% | +3.3% |
| FCF MarginFCF ÷ Revenue | +8.5% | +2.2% |
| Rev. Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +6.9% | +5.8% |
| EPS Growth (YoY)Latest quarter vs prior year | +24.2% | +35.1% |
Valuation Metrics
At 29.7x trailing earnings, COKE trades at a 37% valuation discount to WMT's 46.9x P/E. Adjusting for growth (PEG ratio), COKE offers better value at 0.99x vs WMT's 4.26x — a lower PEG means you pay less per unit of expected earnings growth.
| Metric | COKECoca-Cola Consoli… | WMTWalmart Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Market CapShares × price | $11.4B | $1.02T |
| Enterprise ValueMkt cap + debt − cash | $14.1B | $1.08T |
| Trailing P/EPrice ÷ TTM EPS | 29.72x | 46.87x |
| Forward P/EPrice ÷ next-FY EPS est. | — | 43.76x |
| PEG RatioP/E ÷ EPS growth rate | 0.99x | 4.26x |
| EV / EBITDAEnterprise value multiple | 14.80x | 24.44x |
| Price / SalesMarket cap ÷ Revenue | 1.58x | 1.43x |
| Price / BookPrice ÷ Book value/share | — | 10.27x |
| Price / FCFMarket cap ÷ FCF | 18.48x | 24.53x |
Profitability & Efficiency
COKE delivers a 37.4% return on equity — every $100 of shareholder capital generates $37 in annual profit, vs $22 for WMT. On the Piotroski fundamental quality scale (0–9), WMT scores 6/9 vs COKE's 5/9, reflecting solid financial health.
| Metric | COKECoca-Cola Consoli… | WMTWalmart Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| ROE (TTM)Return on equity | +37.4% | +22.3% |
| ROA (TTM)Return on assets | +10.8% | +7.9% |
| ROICReturn on invested capital | +35.0% | +14.7% |
| ROCEReturn on capital employed | +26.5% | +17.5% |
| Piotroski ScoreFundamental quality 0–9 | 5 | 6 |
| Debt / EquityFinancial leverage | — | 0.67x |
| Net DebtTotal debt minus cash | $2.6B | $56.4B |
| Cash & Equiv.Liquid assets | $282M | $10.7B |
| Total DebtShort + long-term debt | $2.9B | $67.1B |
| Interest CoverageEBIT ÷ Interest expense | 35.91x | 11.85x |
Total Returns (with DRIP)
A $10,000 investment in COKE five years ago would be worth $80,313 today (with dividends reinvested), compared to $30,135 for WMT. Over the past 12 months, COKE leads with a +43.5% total return vs WMT's +30.7%. The 3-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) favors COKE at 54.6% vs WMT's 40.2% — a key indicator of consistent wealth creation.
| Metric | COKECoca-Cola Consoli… | WMTWalmart Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| YTD ReturnYear-to-date | +35.2% | +13.5% |
| 1-Year ReturnPast 12 months | +43.5% | +30.7% |
| 3-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +269.5% | +175.4% |
| 5-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +703.1% | +201.3% |
| 10-Year ReturnCumulative with dividends | +1088.9% | +512.5% |
| CAGR (3Y)Annualised 3-year return | +54.6% | +40.2% |
Risk & Volatility
COKE is the less volatile stock with a 0.33 beta — it tends to amplify market swings less than WMT's 0.53 beta. A beta below 1.0 means the stock typically moves less than the S&P 500. COKE currently trades 98.7% from its 52-week high vs WMT's 95.0% drawdown — a narrower gap to the peak suggests stronger recent price momentum.
| Metric | COKECoca-Cola Consoli… | WMTWalmart Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Beta (5Y)Sensitivity to S&P 500 | 0.33x | 0.53x |
| 52-Week HighHighest price in past year | $205.00 | $134.69 |
| 52-Week LowLowest price in past year | $105.21 | $79.81 |
| % of 52W HighCurrent price vs 52-week peak | +98.7% | +95.0% |
| RSI (14)Momentum oscillator 0–100 | 83.9 | 49.9 |
| Avg Volume (50D)Average daily shares traded | 369K | 29.5M |
Analyst Outlook
Wall Street rates COKE as "Hold" and WMT as "Buy". For income investors, WMT offers the higher dividend yield at 0.73% vs COKE's 0.51%.
| Metric | COKECoca-Cola Consoli… | WMTWalmart Inc. |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst RatingConsensus buy/hold/sell | Hold | Buy |
| Price TargetConsensus 12-month target | — | $136.31 |
| # AnalystsCovering analysts | 1 | 64 |
| Dividend YieldAnnual dividend ÷ price | +0.5% | +0.7% |
| Dividend StreakConsecutive years of raises | 0 | 37 |
| Dividend / ShareAnnual DPS | $1.03 | $0.94 |
| Buyback YieldShare repurchases ÷ mkt cap | 0.0% | +0.8% |
Historical Charts
Charts are rendered on first load. Hover for details.
Chart 1Total Return — 5 Years (Rebased to 100)
| Stock | Mar 20 | Feb 26 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Consolida… (COKE) | 100 | 696.33 | +596.3% |
| Walmart Inc. (WMT) | 100 | 321.15 | +221.1% |
Coca-Cola Consolida… (COKE) returned +703% over 5 years vs Walmart Inc. (WMT)'s +201%. A $10,000 investment in COKE 5 years ago would be worth $80,313 today (including dividends reinvested).
Chart 2Revenue Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Consolida… (COKE) | $4.3B | $7.2B | +67.2% |
| Walmart Inc. (WMT) | $485.9B | $713.2B | +46.8% |
Walmart Inc.'s revenue grew from $485.9B (2017) to $713.2B (2026) — a 4.4% CAGR.
Chart 3Net Margin Trend — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Consolida… (COKE) | 2.2% | 7.9% | +253.6% |
| Walmart Inc. (WMT) | 2.8% | 3.1% | +9.3% |
Walmart Inc.'s net margin went from 3% (2017) to 3% (2026).
Chart 4P/E Ratio History — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Consolida… (COKE) | 20.9 | 22.5 | +7.7% |
| Walmart Inc. (WMT) | 22.5 | 46.9 | +108.4% |
Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. has traded in a 11x–142x P/E range over 8 years; current trailing P/E is ~30x. Walmart Inc. has traded in a 23x–53x P/E range over 10 years; current trailing P/E is ~47x.
Chart 5EPS Growth — 10 Years
| Stock | 2017 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coca-Cola Consolida… (COKE) | 1.03 | 6.81 | +561.2% |
| Walmart Inc. (WMT) | 1.46 | 2.73 | +87.0% |
Walmart Inc.'s EPS grew from $1.46 (2017) to $2.73 (2026) — a 7% CAGR.
Chart 6Free Cash Flow — 5 Years
Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. generated $620M FCF in 2025 (+69% vs 2021). Walmart Inc. generated $42B FCF in 2026 (+61% vs 2021).
COKE vs WMT: Frequently Asked Questions
8 questions · data-driven answers · updated daily
01Is COKE or WMT a better buy right now?
Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE) offers the better valuation at 29.7x trailing P/E, making it the more compelling value choice. Analysts rate Walmart Inc. (WMT) a "Buy" — based on 64 analyst ratings — the highest consensus in this comparison. The "better buy" depends entirely on your goals: growth investors should weight revenue trajectory, value investors should weight P/E and PEG, and income investors should weight dividend yield and streak.
02Which has the better valuation — COKE or WMT?
On trailing P/E, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE) is the cheapest at 29.7x versus Walmart Inc. at 46.9x.
03Which is the better long-term investment — COKE or WMT?
Over the past 5 years, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE) delivered a total return of +703.1%, compared to +201.3% for Walmart Inc. (WMT). A $10,000 investment in COKE five years ago would be worth approximately $80K today (assuming dividends reinvested). Over 10 years, the gap is even starker: COKE returned +1089% versus WMT's +512.5%. Past returns do not guarantee future results, and the stock with the higher historical return may already have its best growth priced in.
04Which is safer — COKE or WMT?
By beta (market sensitivity over 5 years), Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE) is the lower-risk stock at 0.33β versus Walmart Inc.'s 0.53β — meaning WMT is approximately 59% more volatile than COKE relative to the S&P 500.
05Which has better profit margins — COKE or WMT?
Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE) is the more profitable company, earning 7.9% net margin versus 3.1% for Walmart Inc. — meaning it keeps 7.9% of every revenue dollar as bottom-line profit. Operating margin tells a similar story: COKE leads at 13.2% versus 4.2% for WMT. At the gross margin level — before operating expenses — COKE leads at 39.7%, reflecting greater pricing power or product mix advantage. Stronger margins indicate durable pricing power, lower cost of revenue, or higher mix of software/services. They are one of the clearest signs of business quality.
06Which pays a better dividend — COKE or WMT?
All stocks in this comparison pay dividends. Walmart Inc. (WMT) offers the highest yield at 0.7%, versus 0.5% for Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE).
07Is COKE or WMT better for a retirement portfolio?
For long-horizon retirement investors, Coca-Cola Consolidated, Inc. (COKE) is the stronger choice — it scores higher on the combination of lower volatility, dividend reliability, and long-term compounding (low volatility (β 0.33), 0.5% yield, +1089% 10Y return). Both have compounded well over 10 years (COKE: +1089%, WMT: +512.5%), confirming both are viable long-term holds — but the lower-volatility option typically results in less emotional selling during corrections. Retirement portfolios generally favour predictability over maximum returns. Consult a financial advisor before making allocation decisions.
08What are the main differences between COKE and WMT?
Both stocks operate in the Consumer Defensive sector, making this a peer-level intra-sector comparison — the same macro tailwinds and headwinds will affect both. These fundamental differences mean investors should not choose between them on a single metric — the "better stock" depends entirely on which of these characteristics aligns with your investment strategy.
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