CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Washington Trust Advisors Inc.

Washington Trust Advisors Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 11.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 45,024 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,725 shares during the period. Washington Trust Advisors Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $3,659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KO. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 37.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 60,012 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,877,000 after acquiring an additional 16,440 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.7% during the 2nd quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 14,939 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its stake in CocaCola by 3.8% during the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 69,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,769,000 after purchasing an additional 2,510 shares during the last quarter. Kintra Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 32.7% in the second quarter. Kintra Wealth LLC now owns 14,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 3,573 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. increased its stake in CocaCola by 6.9% in the second quarter. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. now owns 4,140 shares of the company’s stock valued at $339,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $93.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.76.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola remains attractive to income-focused investors after extending its dividend-growth streak to 64 consecutive years. Its global brands and pricing power are viewed as defenses against inflation and a weaker dollar. Safety Stocks Are Not What They Used to Be: 4 Names Built for a Weaker Dollar
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating momentum remains supportive: second-quarter net revenue increased about 7% to $13.38 billion, organic revenue rose 6%, global unit case volume grew 5%, and comparable operating margin expanded to 35.6%. Management also raised full-year guidance in July. Safety Stocks Are Not What They Used to Be: 4 Names Built for a Weaker Dollar
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to treat KO as a highly defensive consumer-staples holding, with its stable demand and dividend history compared favorably with PepsiCo. However, the stock’s roughly 26% year-to-date gain has made valuation a more important part of the investment case. PepsiCo vs. Coca-Cola: Which Stock Has the Edge?
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns are becoming more prominent near the stock’s highs. Commentary has cited a forward P/E around 25.7 times, a modest dividend yield, and limited upside relative to several analyst price targets. Investors are also watching potential volume pressure from nutrition-program restrictions. Coca-Cola Stock Opinions on Recent Highs and Valuation Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Quiver Quantitative data shows 24 insider sales and no insider purchases over the past six months. While such transactions may reflect compensation or diversification, the imbalance can reinforce profit-taking concerns after the strong rally. Coca-Cola Stock Opinions on Recent Highs and Valuation Concerns

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total value of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. This trade represents a 35.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 381,140 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.04, for a total transaction of $34,317,845.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,059,883.32. The trade was a 75.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold 950,604 shares of company stock worth $85,076,219 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of KO opened at $88.05 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $86.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.20. The firm has a market cap of $378.84 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.34. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $92.49. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $13.37 billion for 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%. CocaCola’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors 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 yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.66%.

About CocaCola

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.