Coca-Cola's profit goes back 4% in the second quarter of 2013

NEW YORK-Coca-Cola reported net income 4% lower in the second quarter of this year, with earnings of $ 2.68 billion, or $ 0.59 per share. In the same period last year, the company recorded profit of $ 2.79 billion, or $ 0.61 per share. Excluding items such as restructuring costs, hedge operations and tax issues, the company's adjusted profit in the last quarter grew from $ 0.61 to $ 0.63 per share.
The quarterly result the largest beverage company in the world was affected by the fall in consumption of soft drinks in the u.s. market, by higher costs with raw materials and by increasing economic uncertainty in markets such as Europe and China.
Coca-Cola's revenue fell 2.6% in the last quarter, to $ 12.75 billion. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters projected higher revenue, $ 12,96 billion, in the quarter. The company's gross margin grew 60.1% to 60.9%. Source: Dow Jones Newswires.