Franklin Resources Inc. Increases Stock Position in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 3.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 40,289,857 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,195,581 shares during the period. CocaCola comprises 0.7% of Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 26th biggest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 0.94% of CocaCola worth $2,816,697,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KO. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its stake in CocaCola by 438.8% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CocaCola from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $86.80.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In related news, Chairman James Quincey sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.90, for a total transaction of $15,780,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 78,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,166,429.50. The trade was a 71.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total value of $2,559,411.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,074,096.90. The trade was a 12.40% 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. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors are rotating into defensive, dividend-paying stocks like Coca-Cola as market volatility increases, which is supporting demand for KO shares. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s updated 2026 framework calls for 8%–9% comparable EPS growth and about $12.2 billion in free cash flow, reinforcing confidence in earnings and cash generation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst upgrades and higher price targets from firms including Barclays, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and Citi are helping support the shares. Article Title

CocaCola Stock Up 0.2%

KO stock opened at $79.63 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $342.59 billion, a PE ratio of 25.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $78.09 and its 200 day moving average is $75.35. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $82.66.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $12.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The company’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 66.67%.

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.