Coca-Cola Q1 profit falls short of analyst projections

COCA-COLA, the world’s largest soft-drink maker, posted first-quarter profit that fell short of analysts’ projections as earthquake damage squeezed margins in Japan and total revenue trailed expectations.

Excluding items such as restructuring costs, earnings were 86 cents, compared with the 87-cent average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Damage from the March earthquake in Japan cut 1 cent from profit, the Atlanta-based company said in a statement.

Sales climbed to $10.5 billion, short of the average analyst estimate of $10.7bn.