Weatherly Asset Management L. P. Boosts Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Weatherly Asset Management L. P. lifted its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 119,442 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,450 shares during the quarter. CocaCola accounts for about 0.6% of Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Weatherly Asset Management L. P.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $8,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CocaCola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total transaction of $5,833,593.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on KO. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 target price on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. 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, March 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.80.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola plans to invest $1 billion in South Africa through 2030, signaling confidence in emerging‑market demand and distribution expansion. Coca‑Cola To Invest $1 Billion In South Africa Through 2030
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks argues KO has the mix of factors that make another quarterly earnings beat likely, reinforcing investor confidence in near‑term cash flow and EPS stability. Will Coca‑Cola (KO) Beat Estimates Again?
• Positive Sentiment: Market rotation into defensive sectors (consumer staples ETFs) is providing a tailwind for KO as investors seek low‑beta, high‑dividend hedges in a more uncertain macro environment. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes (including Deutsche Bank) and dividend‑focused writeups (The Motley Fool) highlight KO’s long dividend track record and favorable analyst outlook, supporting buy‑side interest. Deutsche Bank Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation Set It and Forget It: 2 Dividend Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: KO’s AI and cloud initiatives are being expanded across the value chain — boosting execution and insights but not yet a full tech‑led growth pivot, so impact is longer‑term/operational. Does Coca‑Cola’s AI and Cloud Push Signal a New Tech‑Led Growth Phase?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst roundups and head‑to‑head pieces broadly reiterate KO’s defensive, low‑volatility profile; useful for positioning but not immediate price catalysts. Top Analyst Reports for Exxon Mobil, Coca‑Cola & Uber Coca‑Cola HBC and Coca‑Cola Head‑To‑Head Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: CEO James Quincey’s announced step‑down and the creation of a new chief digital officer to accelerate AI/digital transformation introduce leadership transition risk and near‑term uncertainty about execution and strategy. Coca‑Cola CEO Shift Puts AI And Valuation In Fresh Focus

CocaCola Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE KO opened at $76.17 on Thursday. CocaCola Company has a 1 year low of $65.35 and a 1 year high of $82.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $327.84 billion, a PE ratio of 25.06, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The business’s 50-day moving average is $77.12 and its 200 day moving average is $72.08.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The business 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 company posted $0.55 EPS. CocaCola’s quarterly 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 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.