Beatriz Perez Sells 21,326 Shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) EVP Beatriz Perez sold 21,326 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.75, for a total transaction of $1,722,074.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 173,728 shares in the company, valued at $14,028,536. The trade was a 10.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

CocaCola Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE KO traded up $0.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $81.37. The company had a trading volume of 7,163,464 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,932,945. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $65.35 and a 12 month high of $81.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $73.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.74. The stock has a market cap of $349.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 67.11%.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple near‑term and multi‑year EPS estimates for KO (Q1/Q2 FY2026–FY2028 and FY2026–FY2027 upgrades), signaling improving analyst expectations for earnings growth and supporting valuation. Zacks Research estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend‑focused coverage named Coca‑Cola among safe, long‑running dividend payers, reinforcing income investor demand for KO given its long dividend history and defensive consumer‑staples status. 5 US Blue Chip Giants That Have Paid Dividends for Over 100 Years
• Positive Sentiment: Additional media recommended several of Warren Buffett’s high‑quality dividend names as defensive buys amid market uncertainty; Coca‑Cola’s inclusion in such lists can attract long‑term and yield‑seeking flows. Is the Warren Buffett Correction Coming? Buy His 4 Safest Dividend Stocks Now
• Neutral Sentiment: Swire Pacific restructured a planned disposal involving its Coca‑Cola Vietnam stake; the transaction is regional and goes through corporate ownership channels (share deal), so material impact on KO’s consolidated results is limited — watch for further details on timing/terms. Swire Pacific reshapes Vietnam Coca‑Cola stake sale
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest in KO rose meaningfully in February (~21.5% increase to ~41.2M shares as of Feb 13), which could add downward pressure or volatility if shorts increase activity or if a squeeze/reversal occurs — monitor volume and investor flows.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KO shares. Barclays raised their target price on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price objective on CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CocaCola currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position in CocaCola by 867.2% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,008,954,000 after purchasing an additional 12,939,959 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 1,206.9% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,913,000 after acquiring an additional 9,826,768 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,182,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,809,146,000 after acquiring an additional 9,078,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,015,000 after purchasing an additional 6,246,627 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

About CocaCola

The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage manufacturer, marketer and distributor best known for its flagship Coca‑Cola soda. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company develops and sells concentrates, syrups and finished beverages across a broad portfolio of brands. Its product range spans sparkling soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready‑to‑drink teas and coffees, and other still beverages, marketed under both global and regional brand names.

Coca‑Cola’s brand portfolio includes widely recognized names such as Coca‑Cola, Diet Coke, Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, Powerade and Dasani, and in recent years the company has expanded into the coffee and premium beverage categories through acquisitions such as Costa Coffee.