Payden & Rygel Sells 142,000 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Payden & Rygel reduced its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 86.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 22,310 shares of the company’s stock after selling 142,000 shares during the quarter. Payden & Rygel’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $1,480,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in CocaCola by 5,142.9% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 367 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on KO. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,410,296.60. This trade represents a 49.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of KO opened at $79.79 on Monday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.46. The company has a market cap of $343.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. CocaCola Company has a twelve month low of $65.35 and a twelve month high of $80.41.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 67.11%.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend (now $0.53/share) and confirmed the payout schedule — a ~3.9% bump and the 64th consecutive annual increase, reinforcing its Dividend King status and attracting income investors. Coca‑Cola Raises Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Management is executing a CEO succession that pairs a digital‑first push with the dividend growth story — investors view this as continuity with a growth tilt, supporting multiple expansion. CEO Shift and Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage highlights that health‑focused product innovation and digital/channel growth could offset input‑cost pressure for soft drink makers, favoring leaders like KO. Soft Drinks Industry Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish commentary and price targets (e.g., articles arguing KO can reach triple‑digits) add optimism to momentum traders. Bullish Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets note increased investor attention and search interest in KO — higher visibility can amplify moves in either direction but is not direct fundamental news. Investor Attention Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola disclosed executive pay details ahead of the CEO transition — useful for governance-focused investors but unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the short term. Exec Pay Disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat ($0.58 vs. $0.56) but a slight revenue miss; management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of ~3.21–3.24 — mixed operational data that supports the dividend case but tempers growth expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Benzinga warns KO’s value score has weakened after a ~15% YTD rally and highlights a tepid 2026 outlook, raising concerns that upside may be limited absent stronger top‑line momentum. Valuation/Outlook Warning

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.