Coca-Cola Co (KO) reported a quarterly profit in line with analysts’ estimates as strong volume in China, India and Brazil offset a decline in North America.

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Lower costs also helped lift profit at the world’s largest soft-drink maker, which gained market share in both the carbonated and noncarbonated segments.

Coca-Cola said net income attributable to shareholders rose to $1.54 billion, or 66 cents per share, from $995 million, or 43 cents per share, a year earlier.

Analysts on average were expecting 66 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Net operating revenue rose 5 percent to $7.51 billion. Analysts on average forecast $7.22 billion.

Overall sales by volume rose 5 percent, after a gain of 2 percent in the third quarter, 4 percent in the second quarter and 2 percent in the first.

Coca-Cola shares rose less than 1 percent to $53.01 in premarket trading.

Coke’s growth in developing markets such as India and China has helped it weather a slowdown in the United States.

Fourth-quarter volume rose 7 percent in Latin America, 11 percent in the Pacific region, 1 percent in Europe and 5 percent in the company’s Eurasia and Africa divisions.

Volume fell 1 percent in the closely watched North American market, after losing 4 percent in the third quarter and 1 percent in the second quarter.

Coke’s rivalry with PepsiCo Inc PEP is poised for a new turn this year, as the No. 2 soft-drink maker is about to complete its planned acquisition of its largest bottlers, Pepsi Bottling Group Inc (PBG.N) and PepsiAmericas Inc (PAS.N), to trim costs and speed decision-making.

Coke Chief Executive Muhtar Kent has repeatedly expressed his commitment to its current decentralized, franchise bottling model.

Posted by Shayne Heffernan on Feb 9th, 2010and filed underLatest News, Limelight.You can follow any responses to this entry through theRSS 2.0You can leave a response by filling following comment form or trackback to this entry from your site