If You Bought 1 Share of Coca-Cola at Its IPO, Here's How Many Shares You'd Own Now
Key Takeaways
The most-chosen retail brand has worked its way through one stock dividend and 10 forward splits, and turned a $40 initial investment into more than $639,000!
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July 19, 2025
03:36 AM
The Motley Fool
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From what the evidence shows, What caught my attention is It's worth noting that The most-chosen retail brand has worked its way through one stock dividend and 10 forward splits, and turned a $40 initial investment into more than $639,000
Nevertheless, Furthermore, Wall Street typically has at least one next-big-thing trend to captivate the attention and wallets of investors, in today's market environment
Stock-split euphoria certainly fits the bill
A stock split vides a way for public companies to alter their price and outstanding count while having no impact on their market cap or operating performance
Additionally, Forward splits, which are designed to make a company's s more affordable for retail investors, are especially
One brand-name company that's made stock splits part of its corporate culture for nearly a century is consumer staples giant Coca-Cola (KO -1
Image source: Getty Images
Nevertheless, Coca-Cola's stock-split history spans almost 100 years Coca-Cola's initial public offering (IPO) occurred on Sept. 5, 1919, at $40 per (which is quite significant)
Since 1927, it's navigated its way through one stock dividend and 10 forward splits: April 1927: 1-for-1 stock dividend November 1935: 4-for-1 stock split January 1960: 3-for-1 January 1965: 2-for-1 May 1968: 2-for-1 May 1977: 2-for-1 June 1986: 3-for-1 May 1990: 2-for-1 May 1992: 2-for-1 May 1996: 2-for-1 July 2012: 2-for-1 If you had, hypothetically, purchased one of Coca-Cola for $40 at its IPO in 1919, you'd have 9,216 s presently worth $639,222, not including dividends, as of the closing bell on July 15
Coca-Cola's competitive advantages are here to stay Coca-Cola's eye-popping long-term outperformance is a reflection of its geographic diversity and top-tier marketing
With regard to the former, it has operations in all but three countries and is moving the organic growth needle thanks to emerging
Meanwhile, it's relying on its over 100 years of history to engage mature consumers, and is leaning on artificial intelligence and social media to interact with younger audiences (which is quite significant)
Coca-Cola's phenomenal marketing is why its brand has been the most-chosen from retail shelves for 12 consecutive years, per Kantar's "Brand Foot" report
With a 63-year streak of annual dividend raises in its sails, it's safe to say Coca-Cola stock is as rock-solid as they come, in this volatile climate
Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned
Meanwhile, The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned
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