CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 1.3% – Should You Sell?

Shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) dropped 1.3% on Thursday . The company traded as low as $70.37 and last traded at $70.50. Approximately 15,286,461 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 17% from the average daily volume of 18,433,512 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.44.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola is preparing a roughly $1 billion IPO for its India bottler, Hindustan Coca‑Cola Beverages (HCCB), this summer — a move that could unlock value, reduce capital intensity and provide proceeds for marketing or buybacks. Coca-Cola plans to pop the cap on $1 billion HCCB IPO this year
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo issued a buy on KO, a near‑term positive for sentiment and buy‑side interest — analyst upgrades can attract flows into large caps like KO. Coca-Cola (KO) Gets a Buy from Wells Fargo
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend narrative remains a tailwind: coverage highlights Coca‑Cola’s streak of annual dividend increases (approaching 64 years) and durable cash generation, supporting income‑oriented investor demand. Is Coca-Cola Still 1 of the Best Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever?
• Positive Sentiment: Management reshuffle and a new digital role ahead of Henrique Braun’s CEO start are positioned as moves to accelerate digital transformation — could improve execution and margins if successfully implemented. Coca-Cola Reshapes Leadership to Speed Digital Transformation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed across consumer names, leaving near‑term price action sensitive to headlines and macro; KO has both buy calls and cautious takes. Analysts Have Conflicting Sentiments on These Consumer Goods Companies
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend-focused roundups (e.g., Dogs of the Dow lists) keep KO on the radar for income investors but don’t usually trigger large directional moves alone. The Dogs of the Dow: 10 Downtrodden Dividends Paying Out Up to 6.8%
• Negative Sentiment: Coca‑Cola has scrapped the sale process for Costa Coffee after bids fell short — that may disappoint investors expecting proceeds or simplification, and suggests limited appetite at desired valuations. Coca‑Cola scraps Costa Coffee sale, FT reports

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $79.08.

CocaCola Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $303.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.66 and a beta of 0.39. The business’s 50-day moving average is $70.58 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.04. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 43.62%. The firm had revenue of $12.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.46 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. CocaCola has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.966-2.966 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CocaCola news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 13,548 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.93, for a total value of $947,411.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares in the company, valued at $2,638,109.25. This represents a 26.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction on Monday, November 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.17, for a total value of $2,250,751.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $15,894,396.10. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 225,252 shares of company stock valued at $15,953,007. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sava Infond d.o.o. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 210.8% in the second quarter. Sava Infond d.o.o. now owns 5,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $407,000 after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in CocaCola by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 367,441,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,996,519,000 after buying an additional 6,241,163 shares during the period. Perigon Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in CocaCola by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Perigon Wealth Management LLC now owns 130,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,209,000 after acquiring an additional 4,469 shares in the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 5.0% during the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 4,557,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $322,455,000 after acquiring an additional 216,752 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter valued at approximately $22,443,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.