CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Hits New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $80.55 and last traded at $80.4420, with a volume of 7052341 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $79.84.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company reaffirmations and shareholder returns — Coca‑Cola extended its 64th consecutive annual dividend increase and made investor‑relations leadership changes, which supports dividend‑oriented investor demand. Coca‑Cola Extends Dividend Streak
• Positive Sentiment: Regional strength at Coca‑Cola FEMSA — strong 4Q25 results, improved ESG scores and new bond financing at the bottler support international volume/margin momentum for KO’s Latin America exposure. Coca‑Cola FEMSA Posts Strong 4Q25
• Positive Sentiment: Hydration portfolio repositioning and marketing wins — BodyArmor named official sports drink of NCAA March Madness and plans a new product; these initiatives can boost growth in premium sports hydration. Coca‑Cola Resets Hydration Brands
• Positive Sentiment: Input‑cost tailwind potential — commentary that tariff rollbacks could lower aluminum costs is a potential margin tailwind for KO’s cans‑heavy portfolio. Tariff Rollback Could Help Coca‑Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor event ahead — KO will present at the Citi Global Consumer & Retail Conference (Mar 9). Management commentary and the webcast may move sentiment depending on guidance/comments. Citi Conference Participation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media comparisons — several pieces compare KO to PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper (valuation and competitive positioning). These shape relative‑valuation narratives but don’t immediately change fundamentals. PepsiCo vs. Coca‑Cola Keurig Dr Pepper Split Plan
• Negative Sentiment: Rising short interest — short interest jumped ~21.5% in February to ~41.2M shares (≈1.0% of float) with ~1.8 days‑to‑cover; higher short activity can add selling pressure and amplify downside on weak catalysts.
• Negative Sentiment: Temporary production pause — Topo Chico mineral water availability is paused in the U.S. for production upgrades; short supply or execution snags could weigh on near‑term revenue in hydration categories. Topo Chico Production Pause

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KO shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.33.

CocaCola Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $73.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.68. The company has a market cap of $346.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.CocaCola’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total transaction of $26,046,230.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $26,410,296.60. This represents a 49.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CocaCola

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KO. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 4,591 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in CocaCola by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. United Bank increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 9.5% in the second quarter. United Bank now owns 91,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,452,000 after purchasing an additional 7,903 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 5,142.9% during the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

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.