LS Investment Advisors LLC Acquires 7,806 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

LS Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 47.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,237 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,806 shares during the quarter. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $1,970,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Summitry LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 16.5% in the 2nd quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 12,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $996,000 after buying an additional 1,736 shares during the last quarter. Leslie Global Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the second quarter worth about $229,000. Traveka Wealth LLC increased its holdings in CocaCola by 0.5% during the second quarter. Traveka Wealth LLC now owns 25,398 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,064,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC raised its position in CocaCola by 10.3% in the second quarter. Athena Wealth Management LLC now owns 19,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,618,000 after acquiring an additional 1,851 shares during the period. Finally, Clear Trail Advisors LLC raised its position in CocaCola by 15.3% in the second quarter. Clear Trail Advisors LLC now owns 48,924 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,976,000 after acquiring an additional 6,502 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised outlook and margin gains: Coca-Cola’s improved full-year revenue and earnings guidance, expanding margins, broad-based volume growth and market-share gains reinforce confidence in its operating momentum. Coca-Cola’s Raised Guidance And Margin Gains Might Change the Case for Investing in Coca-Cola
• Positive Sentiment: Volume growth supports demand: Recent analysis points to steady global volume growth, suggesting consumers continue to purchase Coca-Cola products despite broader economic pressure. Coca-Cola in Focus as Volume Growth Anchors a Steady Picture
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst expectations remain supportive: Analysts have issued higher earnings forecasts and are preparing for third-quarter results, extending the positive reaction to the company’s latest earnings beat. Coca-Cola reported $0.97 in quarterly EPS versus a $0.93 consensus estimate, with revenue up 6.2% year over year.
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive and income appeal: Commentary continues to highlight KO as a Dividend King and a long-term Warren Buffett-backed holding. That reputation may support demand from investors seeking reliable dividends and relatively defensive consumer-staples exposure. 5 Dividend Kings to Buy and Hold Forever in August
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and sustainability are under debate: Investors are weighing Coca-Cola’s stronger results against whether its recent momentum can persist through the second half of the year. With the stock trading at a premium earnings multiple, further gains may depend on continued execution. The Debates That Matter for KO Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro risks remain: Coverage is monitoring inflation, gasoline prices and consumer spending because higher household costs could pressure demand or reduce purchasing power. Why Is Coca-Cola in Focus as Gasoline Prices Pressure Consumers?
• Neutral Sentiment: Bottler financing news: Coca-Cola İçecek authorized management to seek up to $1 billion in overseas debt for refinancing and growth. The development concerns the regional bottler rather than Coca-Cola directly, so its immediate effect on KO is likely limited. Coca-Cola İçecek Seeks Up to USD 1 Billion in Overseas Debt

CocaCola Stock Up 0.3%

KO opened at $87.66 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $83.51 and a 200 day moving average of $79.81. The company has a market cap of $377.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.05 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 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 earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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, sell-side analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 63.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CocaCola news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total value of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at $24,439,553.27. This trade represents a 35.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total value of $34,960,398.48. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,842,608.29. The trade was a 78.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 sold 1,433,535 shares of company stock valued at $121,922,698 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Argus raised their price target on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock 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. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on CocaCola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.76.

CocaCola 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.