CocaCola Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:KO)

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders purchased 61,806 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 17% compared to the typical daily volume of 52,940 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $84.33.

Key CocaCola News

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.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 21,326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.75, for a total transaction of $1,722,074.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 173,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,028,536. This represents a 10.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.16, for a total transaction of $1,603,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 57,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,765.12. This represents a 25.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 493,587 shares of company stock worth $38,577,228 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in CocaCola by 1,206.9% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $743,913,000 after acquiring an additional 9,826,768 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 29.2% during the 4th 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 lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $879,015,000 after purchasing an additional 6,246,627 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE KO traded up $0.98 on Friday, hitting $81.48. The stock had a trading volume of 7,912,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,956,355. The company’s 50-day moving average is $73.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.74. The stock has a market cap of $350.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. CocaCola has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $81.69.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. CocaCola’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, analysts expect that CocaCola 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 given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is 67.11%.

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.