Coca-Cola Co. on Wednesday reported a slight dip in quarterly net income, hurt by a restructuring charge and sluggish sales of its soft drinks in North America.
The world's largest soft drink company posted a fourth-quarter net profit of $927 million, or 38 cents a share, after an 8-cent restructuring charge. That compared with $930 million, or 38 cents a share, in the year earlier period.
Revenue rose to $5.18 billion from $4.8 billion.
Coca-Cola's sales as measured by unit volume grew 3 percent in the period, boosted by 5-percent volume growth in Europe.
But sales in North America, Coca-Cola's largest and most important market, grew only 1 percent in the period, continuing a pattern that has become painfully familiar for Coke executives in recent years.
Reigniting sales of core brands, such as the flagship Coke Classic product, has been a top priority in North America since the company embarked on a sweeping restructuring of its global operations four years ago.
