Sunbelt Securities Inc. Boosts Stock Position in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 23.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 107,709 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 20,695 shares during the quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $7,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in CocaCola by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 4,591 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 48,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,387,000 after purchasing an additional 3,923 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter worth about $304,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on KO to $90 and maintains a Buy rating — a material analyst upgrade that signals upside versus current levels and can support investor demand. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and reports point to zero‑sugar variants (Coke Zero Sugar, Sprite Zero Sugar) as a margin and pricing tailwind, helping volume growth and profitability as consumers shift to low‑calorie options. This reinforces KO’s ability to expand margins even if top‑line growth is modest. Zacks: Is Zero Sugar Acting as a Margin Driver
• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola secured a high‑profile Sprite sponsorship with the NBA, increasing brand exposure for Sprite and supporting marketing-driven volume gains in a key demographic. This is especially relevant as the company pushes flavored and zero‑sugar innovations. MSN: Sprite back to the NBA
• Positive Sentiment: KO appears on a “high‑yielding stocks to buy” list, which can attract income‑focused investors given Coca‑Cola’s dividend profile. Inclusion in retail investor lists can help support demand. 247WallSt: High‑Yielding Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate philanthropy: The American Indian College Fund honored Coca‑Cola First Generation Scholars — a reputational/ESG positive but with limited direct near‑term impact on the stock. GlobeNewswire: Coca‑Cola Scholars
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary urges caution: a Seeking Alpha piece recommends a defensive stance on KO, arguing valuation and macro risks may limit near‑term upside — a viewpoint that can weigh on sentiment among growth‑oriented holders. Seeking Alpha: Time To Play Defensive
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting a product shift (new Mango Citrus Sprite Walmart exclusive) and the retirement of long‑serving board member Maria Elena Lagomasino raises governance and valuation questions for some investors—mixed operational upside but also structural change that can introduce near‑term uncertainty. Yahoo Finance: Product Shift & Board Change

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total transaction of $5,833,593.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $1,847,595.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. This trade represents a 57.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on KO. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price target on CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.60.

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $77.61 on Wednesday. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $76.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.53. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $82.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $333.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The company 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 business’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.74%.

CocaCola Profile

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.