Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (NASDAQ:CCEP) reported strong top-line growth for the first quarter of 2026 on Tuesday, April 28, with revenue reaching €5,001 million.
This represents a 6.7% increase on a reported basis and a 9.4% jump on a currency-neutral basis, supported by continued momentum in the "zero-sugar" and "energy" categories.
The bottling giant reported total volume growth of 8.5%, driven by 970 million unit cases, though comparable volume growth—which excludes recent perimeter changes—remained a more modest 1.6%.
Management highlighted that consumer demand remained resilient across its core European and Asia-Pacific territories despite ongoing macroeconomic volatility.
In a move to reinforce shareholder returns, the Board of Directors declared a first-half interim dividend of €0.82 per share.
The payout is scheduled for May 27, 2026, for shareholders of record as of May 12.
CCEP also provided an update on its capital allocation strategy, noting that it has completed €500 million of its current €1 billion share buyback program.
While the results were positive, management noted several headwinds for the remainder of the year.
The company's exit from the Suntory alcohol distribution agreement is expected to impact full-year revenue by approximately 0.5%.
Additionally, CCEP continues to navigate commodity price fluctuations and general cost-of-living pressures that may affect consumer discretionary spending.
Looking ahead, CCEP reaffirmed its full-year 2026 guidance, targeting revenue growth of 3% to 4%, an operating profit increase of approximately 7%, and comparable free cash flow of at least €1.7 billion.