Vest Financial LLC Sells 54,660 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Vest Financial LLC reduced its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 733,463 shares of the company’s stock after selling 54,660 shares during the period. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $63,136,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KO. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in CocaCola during the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC grew its position in CocaCola by 38.7% during the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Timbuktu Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of CocaCola from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $86.00 price target (up from $82.00) on shares of CocaCola in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up from $88.00) on shares of CocaCola in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.27.

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of KO opened at $92.66 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.75. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $67.27 and a 12 month high of $94.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $398.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.83, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.32.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released 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 company had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Research analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 3.30 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 63.66%.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KFC plans to replace PepsiCo beverages with Coca-Cola products at its U.S. restaurants beginning in January. The agreement could provide incremental sales volume and improve Coca-Cola’s restaurant-channel presence. KFC swaps Pepsi for Coca-Cola
• Positive Sentiment: Recent growth has been supported more by higher beverage volumes than by price increases, suggesting Coca-Cola is gaining consumer demand rather than relying solely on pricing. Analysts and commentators expect the company’s global distribution strategy and beverage portfolio to support further growth. Coca-Cola growth outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo and UBS reiterated Buy ratings, reinforcing the bullish analyst view. Coca-Cola’s defensive profile, reliable cash generation and 64 consecutive years of dividend increases also make it attractive while interest rates remain elevated. Wells Fargo Buy rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on the October 27 earnings release. Coca-Cola’s previous quarter exceeded expectations, with $0.97 in adjusted earnings per share and $13.37 billion in revenue, but the upcoming report must validate expectations for continued earnings growth.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a key concern: KO trades at roughly 28 times earnings after rising about 35%–40% this year, while its dividend yield has fallen to approximately 2.2%. Profit-taking or disappointment in guidance could pressure the stock near its 52-week high. Coca-Cola valuation analysis
• Negative Sentiment: One earnings preview argues that Coca-Cola may not have the strongest setup for another consensus beat, creating a near-term risk if results or guidance fall short of elevated investor expectations. Coca-Cola earnings preview

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. The trade was a 35.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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 the company’s stock in a transaction on 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. This represents a 75.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CocaCola Company Profile

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.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.