KO vs. WMT: Coca-Cola vs. Walmart Stock Comparison

August 25, 2026

How do Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT) share the Consumer Staples sector but sit in different industry groups — KO in Food, Beverage & Tobacco and WMT in Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail.

Company profile comparison for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Profile Item	KO	WMT
Name	The Coca-Cola Company	Walmart Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Food, Beverage & Tobacco	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Industry	Beverages	Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail
GICS Sub-Industry	Soft Drinks & Non-alcoholic Beverages	Consumer Staples Merchandise Retail
Market Capitalization	391.96 billion USD	825.25 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	January 2, 1962	August 25, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

WMT

GSPC

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
Total Return (1Y)	32.58%	6.75%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	18.09%	26.79%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	13.27%	16.94%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

WMT

GSPC

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	18.64%	25.75%
Beta (5Y)	0.34	0.59
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-17.27%	-25.74%
Avg. Volume (3M)	17.57M	25.16M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

KO and WMT are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. Each dashed Capital Allocation Line uses that stock's own industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	1.53	0.11
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	2.62	0.15

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Coca-Cola (KO) at 42.05% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Walmart (WMT) at 22.31% also sits in the top quartile.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

42.05%

KO: 42.05%
Max: 34.02%
Q3: 17.07%
Median: 12.13%
Q1: 3.59%
Min: -16.01%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

22.31%

Max: 35.20%
WMT: 22.31%
Q3: 22.13%
Median: 14.52%
Q1: 7.41%
Min: -2.30%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their ROE against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Net Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 28.56% converts revenue to bottom-line profit above its industry’s benchmark range, while Walmart (WMT) at 3.00% keeps roughly the typical share for its industry.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

28.56%

KO: 28.56%
Max: 25.56%
Q3: 10.88%
Median: 5.27%
Q1: 1.03%
Min: -13.64%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

3.00%

Max: 5.59%
Q3: 3.59%
WMT: 3.00%
Median: 2.61%
Q1: 1.72%
Min: -0.12%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their net margin against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 34.87% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Walmart (WMT) at 4.99%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

34.87%

Max: 35.93%
KO: 34.87%
Q3: 17.00%
Median: 11.30%
Q1: 3.93%
Min: -11.04%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

4.99%

Max: 9.09%
Q3: 5.58%
WMT: 4.99%
Median: 4.05%
Q1: 1.70%
Min: 0.00%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their operating margin against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
ROE (TTM)	42.05%	22.31%
ROA (TTM)	9.40%	7.07%
Net Margin (TTM)	28.56%	3.00%
Operating Margin (TTM)	34.87%	4.99%
Gross Margin (TTM)	61.89%	25.23%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.87% and Walmart (WMT) at 4.73% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Coca-Cola (KO) at 23.58% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Walmart (WMT) at 13.28% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for KO.

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
Revenue Growth (YoY)	1.87%	4.73%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	3.69%	5.27%
EPS Growth (YoY)	23.58%	13.28%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	11.55%	24.25%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.31 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Walmart (WMT) at 0.77 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for WMT.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.31

Max: 4.39
Q3: 2.44
Median: 1.45
KO: 1.31
Q1: 0.98
Min: 0.33

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.77

Max: 2.15
Q3: 1.50
Median: 1.17
Q1: 1.00
WMT: 0.77
Min: 0.68

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their current ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Coca-Cola (KO) at 1.16 and Walmart (WMT) at 0.70 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.16

Max: 2.39
Q3: 1.16
KO: 1.16
Median: 0.71
Q1: 0.31
Min: 0.00

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.70

Max: 3.73
Q3: 1.88
Median: 1.26
WMT: 0.70
Q1: 0.64
Min: 0.01

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.31	0.77
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.16	0.70
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.64	1.32

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Coca-Cola (KO) at 2.30% and Walmart (WMT) at 0.93% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.30%

Max: 8.60%
Q3: 3.81%
Median: 2.44%
KO: 2.30%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

0.93%

Max: 2.88%
Q3: 1.90%
WMT: 0.93%
Median: 0.28%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their dividend yield against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 62.46% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Walmart (WMT) at 34.96% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

62.46%

Max: 169.01%
Q3: 79.10%
KO: 62.46%
Median: 45.95%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

34.96%

Max: 80.12%
WMT: 34.96%
Q3: 33.65%
Median: 12.07%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their payout ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.30%	0.93%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	62.46%	34.96%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Coca-Cola (KO) at 27.36 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Walmart (WMT) at 37.57 sits in the richer quartile — WMT needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

27.36

Max: 44.27
Q3: 29.78
KO: 27.36
Median: 18.99
Q1: 13.96
Min: 2.28

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

37.57

Max: 52.67
WMT: 37.57
Q3: 35.72
Median: 22.45
Q1: 16.34
Min: 12.02

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/E ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Both look expensive on sales: Walmart (WMT) at 1.12 sits in the upper P/S ratio quartile, and Coca-Cola (KO) at 7.82 prices even higher, above its industry range.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

7.82

KO: 7.82
Max: 4.70
Q3: 2.30
Median: 1.10
Q1: 0.55
Min: 0.00

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

1.12

Max: 1.76
WMT: 1.12
Q3: 0.91
Median: 0.47
Q1: 0.25
Min: 0.03

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/S ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Walmart (WMT) at 8.75 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Coca-Cola (KO) at 10.84 prices even higher, above its industry range.

KO

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

10.84

KO: 10.84
Max: 4.95
Q3: 3.26
Median: 1.78
Q1: 0.95
Min: 0.00

WMT

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group

8.75

WMT: 8.75
Max: 8.75
Q3: 6.78
Median: 3.98
Q1: 2.03
Min: 0.61

Coca-Cola (KO) vs. Walmart (WMT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against their respective Food, Beverage & Tobacco and Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail industry group benchmarks.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Coca-Cola (KO) and Walmart (WMT)
Metric	KO	WMT
P/E Ratio (TTM)	27.36	37.57
P/S Ratio (TTM)	7.82	1.12
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	10.84	8.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	1.33%	1.09%