John Murphy Sells 152,483 Shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,439,553.27. This represents a 35.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $86.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $372.03 billion, a PE ratio of 25.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.04 and a beta of 0.33. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $90.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $82.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.99.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.66%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 438.8% during 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 in the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Improved Middle East geopolitical tensions helped lift broader markets, providing a supportive backdrop for large-cap defensive stocks such as Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola in Focus as Eased Middle East Tension Lifts Markets
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola remains a favored consumer-staples and dividend-growth name as weak consumer confidence and market volatility encourage investors to seek stable cash flow. Recent coverage also highlighted its strong second-quarter results and long dividend-growth record. Consumer Staples Stocks to Play Safe Amid Sinking Consumer Confidence
• Positive Sentiment: The latest quarter beat expectations, with earnings of $0.97 per share versus a $0.93 consensus and revenue of $13.37 billion versus $13.17 billion. Revenue rose 6.2% year over year, while full-year 2026 EPS guidance remains $3.27-$3.30. Coca-Cola Earnings and Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola appointed Luca Santandrea as general director for Poland and the Baltic operations. The change could support regional execution, although investors are also questioning whether KO is fully valued after its substantial gains this year. Coca-Cola Valuation Following Leadership Change
• Negative Sentiment: Expansion in China is creating near-term margin pressure. Investors may view the investment as strategically positive, but the added costs could weigh on profitability until growth scales. Coca-Cola Margin Hit From China Expansion
• Negative Sentiment: CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares worth approximately $13.3 million, reducing his direct holdings by about 35%. The filing attributed the sale to tax withholding on vested equity awards, which limits its bearish significance but may still weigh on sentiment. Coca-Cola CFO SEC Form 4 Filing

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on KO. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $93.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group set a $104.00 target price on shares of CocaCola and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.76.

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.