Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Up 1.7% – Still a Buy?

Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO)’s stock price was up 1.7% during trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $99.30 and last traded at $99.0820. Approximately 17,899,615 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 5% from the average session volume of 17,032,113 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.44.

Recent Coca-Cola Headlines

These are some of the KO headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Shares reached a fresh all-time high near $100, reflecting continued investor demand and extending the stock’s recent run. KO Stock Alert: Coca-Cola Just Hit a New All-Time High
• Positive Sentiment: Call-option activity was unusually high, with traders acquiring about 60,740 contracts—roughly 18% above typical volume. This may signal increased bullish positioning, though options activity is not a guarantee of future performance.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research reportedly raised its FY2026 EPS estimates. Recent coverage also points to revenue growth, rising volumes, brand innovation and an upbeat 2026 outlook as supports for the investment case. Coca-Cola Stock Hits 52-Week High: Should You Buy Now or Wait?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on KO shares. Barclays raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Daiwa Securities Group increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $93.00 target price (up from $83.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Friday. 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, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $426.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.14, a PEG ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $90.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $83.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 net margin of 28.65% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The business’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 62.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total value of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,186,798.70. This trade represents a 18.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 67,548 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.91, for a total value of $6,410,980.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,226,221.48. This trade represents a 29.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 249,498 shares of company stock worth $23,025,238. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 38.7% during the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Timbuktu Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

About Coca-Cola

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.