CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Up 1.8% – Here’s What Happened

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) traded up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $90.76 and last traded at $90.3840. Approximately 15,969,195 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 7% from the average daily volume of 17,187,684 shares. The stock had previously closed at $88.82.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s shares reached an all-time high as investors sought established blue-chip companies, highlighting strong momentum and defensive appeal. Coca-Cola Stock Hits All-Time High as Investors Seek Out Blue-Chip Names
• Positive Sentiment: The stock cleared $90 for the first time and established a new 52-week high, reinforcing the current bullish technical trend. Coca-Cola Breaks $90 for the First Time
• Positive Sentiment: Broker commentary suggests Coca-Cola remains an investment candidate, potentially supporting the stock through favorable Wall Street sentiment. Its latest quarterly results also exceeded expectations, with earnings of $0.97 per share versus a $0.93 consensus and revenue of $13.37 billion versus $13.17 billion expected.
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles emphasized Coca-Cola’s status as a “Dividend King.” Its long history of dividend payments and the approximately $848 million annual dividend received by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway underscore the company’s dependable shareholder returns. Dividend King Pays Berkshire $848 Million Each Year
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage is examining Coca-Cola’s cash flow and dividend yield as interest rates and bond yields rise. Higher yields can make income-oriented stocks relatively less attractive, but strong cash generation would help support the dividend. How Does Coca-Cola Cash Flow Look as Yields Rise?
• Neutral Sentiment: Executive Vice President Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares worth about $4.52 million to cover tax withholding tied to vested equity awards. Because the sale was tax-related rather than a discretionary reduction, it is unlikely to materially change the investment case, although insider selling may attract some attention. SEC Insider Transaction Filing

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price 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. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CocaCola has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.76.

CocaCola Stock Up 0.5%

The company has a market cap of $391.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.33. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $84.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.30. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion during 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

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 paid 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CocaCola news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 100,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total value of $7,946,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 181,384 shares in the company, valued at $14,412,772.64. This represents a 35.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,483,535 shares of company stock valued at $126,442,198. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth $552,000. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,646,000 after buying an additional 32,723 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 3,852,525 shares of the company’s stock worth $269,330,000 after purchasing an additional 31,694 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in CocaCola by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,759,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,010,000 after purchasing an additional 79,946 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. acquired a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,544,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CocaCola Company 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.