CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 2,896,306 shares of the company’s stock after selling 67,006 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $235,383,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KO. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its stake in CocaCola by 7,365.2% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 487,509,960 shares of the company’s stock valued at $39,619,934,000 after purchasing an additional 480,979,487 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,734,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,273,037,000 after purchasing an additional 433,547 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,865,807,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in CocaCola by 4.4% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,958,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,735,058,000 after buying an additional 1,939,673 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More CocaCola News

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, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total value of $10,126,419.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at $3,761,319.45. The trade was a 72.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the company’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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,186,798.70. The trade was a 18.29% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 950,604 shares of company stock valued at $85,076,219 in the last ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of several recent research reports. HSBC downgraded shares of CocaCola from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group set a $104.00 price target on shares of CocaCola and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Seaport Research Partners set a $95.00 price objective on CocaCola in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.76.

CocaCola Stock Down 0.0%

KO stock opened at $88.05 on Monday. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $92.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $86.10 and its 200 day moving average is $81.20. The firm has a market cap of $378.84 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.34.

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

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is currently 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.