“Bottler refranchising is still expected to be a four to five-point headwind, to comparable net revenues. And we now expect a one to two-point headwind, to comparable earnings per share.”

In context

“pproximately five points from three years ago. Our balance sheet is strong, as demonstrated by our net debt leverage of 1.5 times EBITDA, which is well below our targeted range of 2 to 2.5 times. We have ample capacity to pursue our capital allocation agenda, which prioritizes investing to drive further growth, continuing to support our dividend and staying dynamic, agile and opportunistic. As James mentioned, we're proactively managing our portfolio to deliver on our commitments. Our updated 2024 guidance reflects the momentum of our business in the first half of the year, and our confidence in our ability to execute on our plans during the second half of this year. We now expect organic revenue growth of 9% to 10%, and comparable currency-neutral earnings per share growth of 13% to 15%. Bottler refranchising is still expected to be a four to five-point headwind, to comparable net revenues. And we now expect a one to two-point headwind, to comparable earnings per share. Based on current rates and our hedge positions, we now anticipate an approximate five to six-point currency headwind, to comparable net revenues and an approximate eight to nine-point currency headwind, to comparable earnings per share for full year 2024. This increase in currency headwind is driven by a small number of intensive treasury markets, while the rest of the currency basket is relatively neutral to our results. All in, we now expect comparable earnings per share growth of 5% to 6% versus $2.69 in 2023. There are some considerations to keep in mind. We expect unit cases and concentrate shipments to be relatively in line with each other for the full year 2024. Please keep in mind there are two extra days in the fourth quarter. Taking everything into consideration, we expect earni”