Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 1.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) shares traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday after Freedom Broker raised their price target on the stock from $85.00 to $89.00. Freedom Broker currently has a hold rating on the stock. Coca-Cola traded as high as $93.16 and last traded at $92.8450. 15,110,400 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average daily volume of 16,899,926 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.73.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on KO. DZ Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $88.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Seaport Research Partners set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Friday, August 14th. BNP Paribas Exane increased their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $100.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.26.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total value of $861,367.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,082.50. The trade was a 13.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total transaction of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,186,798.70. The trade was a 18.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 323,806 shares of company stock worth $28,820,577. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Coca-Cola

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat and guidance increase: Coca-Cola reported adjusted earnings of $0.91 per share versus the $0.88 consensus and revenue of $13.35 billion versus $12.92 billion expected. Revenue rose 7.2% year over year, global unit volume grew 5%, and management raised its 2026 outlook for the third consecutive quarter. KO Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Raised Outlook and Volume Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: JPMorgan raised its price target to $98, Citigroup to $103 and TD Cowen to $104, maintaining bullish or overweight ratings. These revisions suggest analysts see additional upside despite KO’s strong run this year. Coca-Cola Analyst Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Emerging-market expansion provides a long-term catalyst: Coca-Cola’s distribution network and local brands leave room to increase consumption in developing markets. The company is also advancing plans for a potential $1 billion IPO of its Indian bottling arm in 2027, which could unlock value and support investment in India. IPO Plans for Indian Bottling Arm
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive income appeal: Coca-Cola has increased its dividend for 64 consecutive years and offers a yield of approximately 2.3%, supporting its appeal as a stable, lower-volatility holding.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and regional risks remain: KO trades at roughly 28 times earnings after rising about 31% in 2026. North American volume was flat, while pending IRS litigation and revenue pressure from divestitures could limit near-term upside. Freedom Broker raised its target only to $89 and retained a hold rating, below the recent trading level.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KO. Trek Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 404.9% in the 3rd quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 37,476 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,226,000 after buying an additional 30,053 shares during the last quarter. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 80.8% during the third quarter. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,063,000 after purchasing an additional 5,483 shares during the last quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC grew its position in Coca-Cola by 1.4% in the third quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 123,484 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,629,000 after acquiring an additional 1,721 shares in the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 3,950,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,662,000 after acquiring an additional 191,490 shares during the period. Finally, Greenleaf Trust increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.3% during the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 99,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,586,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $399.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.88, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $89.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.84.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%. The company’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.82 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.30 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.66%.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands.

The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.