Investing.com -- Morgan Stanley reiterated one consumer name as its “top pick,” arguing the company is better placed than peers to navigate economic uncertainty linked to the war in the Middle East.

Analyst Dara Mohsenian reiterated an Overweight rating on Coca‑Cola, citing “strong 2026 visibility and higher LT OSG than mega-cap peers,” along with a favourable cost-and-pricing setup that leaves Coke “well positioned for Iran conflict repercussions.”

The firm highlighted short-term earnings visibility and what it calls “outsized long-term growth” as the two factors behind its view.

According to Mohsenian, Coke’s North America business, which is roughly 40% of its mix, should underpin “strong expected” regional results, helping support its forecast for 6% organic sales growth using unit cases.

Mohsenian also sees potential earnings upside, saying that 4-5% organic sales growth in 2026 remains reasonable, even with a Mexico sugar tax headwind and concentrate sales projected slightly below unit case growth.

On geopolitics, the note describes the conflict as a wildcard but argues Coke has clearer visibility than staples peers thanks to “relatively low cost exposure,” strong pricing power and partially hedged foreign exchange.

The company is “not completely immune,” the analysts caution, given multinational exposure and the risk of softer away-from-home volumes.

A key driver of U.S. performance is expected scanner-data momentum. Morgan Stanley says “+HSD% US scanner data sales growth is likely in 2026,” supported by easier comparisons and expanding Fairlife capacity, which should add about 100 basis points to growth for the full year.