Insider Selling: CocaCola (NYSE:KO) CEO Sells 250,688 Shares of Stock

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.14, for a total transaction of $19,839,448.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 278,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $22,013,186.70. This represents a 47.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

James Quincey also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, February 3rd, James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of CocaCola stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total value of $26,046,230.40.

CocaCola Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE KO traded down $1.21 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $76.89. The company had a trading volume of 8,683,775 shares, compared to its average volume of 19,255,748. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $74.58 and its 200 day moving average is $71.01. The company has a market capitalization of $330.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.35. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $82.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted 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. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 67.11%.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola increased its quarterly dividend (new $0.53/share), reinforcing its income‑stock appeal and supporting long‑term demand from yield‑oriented investors. Valuation Check / Dividend Raise
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokerages are largely positive: multiple firms have recent “Buy”/”Overweight” ratings and raised targets (consensus buy view), which helps underpin the stock. Brokerage Coverage Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola is being highlighted in dividend‑king/retirement roundups as a stable long‑term income holding, likely supporting defensive fund flows. Fool: Dividend Kings
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other screens have KO trending among retail readers — this raises visibility but is more of a watchlist signal than an immediate catalyst. Zacks Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola FEMSA (KOF) proposed a quarterly dividend — positive for the Coca‑Cola system but limited direct impact on KO PLC’s valuation. KOF Dividend Proposal
• Neutral Sentiment: Mention in pieces about Berkshire Hathaway and portfolio reshuffling keeps KO on investors’ radars but is informational rather than company‑specific news. MarketBeat: Berkshire Review
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares (~$5.8M at ~\$80.52), cutting his holding materially; large executive sales are a primary driver of the stock’s intraday weakness. SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage raising questions on earnings quality and decentralization of the business suggests elevated execution and margin scrutiny that could pressure sentiment. Seeking Alpha: Earnings Quality
• Negative Sentiment: Short‑term underperformance vs. peers noted by MarketWatch could attract relative‑performance selling from active managers. MarketWatch: Underperformance

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors now owns 3,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Alteri Wealth LLC lifted its position in CocaCola by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Alteri Wealth LLC now owns 7,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Apexium Financial LP boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 12,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $810,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,718,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in CocaCola by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.33.

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.