CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading Up 1.8% on Analyst Upgrade

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) shares traded up 1.8% on Wednesday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $87.00 to $90.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. CocaCola traded as high as $77.37 and last traded at $77.2430. 12,319,801 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the average session volume of 18,114,730 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.91.

A number of other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped 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. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CocaCola news, 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 value of $19,839,448.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 278,155 shares in the company, valued at $22,013,186.70. The trade was a 47.40% 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, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796 in the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher price targets — UBS raised its price target to $90 with a Buy, and Deutsche Bank lifted its target to $86 and reiterated Buy, giving investors upside to consider and supporting demand for the shares. UBS/Benzinga Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Major FIFA marketing activation — Coca‑Cola is hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy Tour (stopping in St. Louis), boosting global brand visibility ahead of the tournament and reinforcing its long‑term beverage demand story tied to big sporting events. The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy Tour by Coca‑Cola
• Positive Sentiment: Recent earnings cadence remains supportive — Coca‑Cola beat EPS in its Feb quarter and provided FY guidance, which underpins the dividend/consumer staples narrative that investors reward in uncertain markets. (Company release and quarterly results)
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst estimate tweak — Erste Group trimmed its FY2027 EPS forecast marginally (from $3.47 to $3.46), a negligible change that is unlikely by itself to alter the company’s fundamentals.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola FEMSA note — Coverage of KOF highlights a strong regional logistics moat in Latin America; useful context for investors tracking Coca‑Cola’s franchise exposure and bottler dynamics but not a direct KO operating item. Coca‑Cola FEMSA Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/short‑term pressure — KO slipped below its 50‑day moving average, prompting technical selling and caution among short‑term traders even though it remains above the 200‑day average, which keeps the longer‑term trend intact. Zacks: Slips Below 50‑Day SMA
• Negative Sentiment: Recent short‑term pullbacks — Coverage noted a one‑day decline of ~1.7% in recent sessions, reflecting broader market moves and profit‑taking after recent gains. Yahoo Finance: KO Stock Drops

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

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

CocaCola Stock Up 1.8%

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 company’s 50-day simple moving average is $77.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.40. The firm has a market cap of $332.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

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

CocaCola Company 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.