Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Sets New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday. The company traded as high as $97.49 and last traded at $97.4950, with a volume of 7,591,631 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $96.91.

Recent Coca-Cola Headlines

These are some of the KO headlines that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts across several periods, including FY2026 to $3.34 from $3.29 and FY2028 to $3.78 from $3.74. The upward revisions suggest improving analyst expectations. Coca-Cola analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary points to strong global volume growth, expanding margins and robust free cash flow supporting Coca-Cola’s dividend. The company’s latest reported quarter also beat earnings and revenue estimates, providing a favorable fundamental backdrop. Kraft Heinz Yields 6.6% and Coca-Cola Yields 2.3%
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola said CFO John Murphy will present at the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference on Dec. 2. The announcement may provide an opportunity for business updates but contains no new financial guidance. Coca-Cola Announces Conference Participation

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on KO. Deutsche Bank raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. CICC Research upped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, DZ Bank reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 0.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company has a market cap of $420.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.93.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 38.79% and a net margin of 28.65%. The company had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is 62.35%.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Beatriz Perez sold 67,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.91, for a total transaction of $6,410,980.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,428 shares in the company, valued at $15,226,221.48. This trade represents a 29.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 20,585 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.62, for a total value of $1,968,337.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,354,814.60. This trade represents a 8.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 249,498 shares of company stock valued at $23,025,238 in the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KO. Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 38.7% in 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 during the period. Timbuktu Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the second quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the third quarter valued at $43,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Coca-Cola

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.