CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 2.7% – Time to Buy?

Shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) traded up 2.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $82.81 and last traded at $82.63. 53,182,893 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 205% from the average session volume of 17,424,189 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.42.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: 24/7 Wall St. issued a bullish view on KO, calling it a quality compounder with a price target of $90.07, implying about 12% upside and recommending the stock as a buy. Coca Cola Price Prediction: The Case for 12% Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Coca-Cola as one of four defensive stocks to own as inflation rises, reinforcing KO’s appeal as a stable consumer staples name in a more uncertain macro environment. Buy 4 Defensive Stocks as Inflation Hits Highest Level in 3 Years
• Positive Sentiment: Growth rankings also looked supportive, with an article noting Monster Beverage and Coca-Cola leading S&P 500 consumer staples stocks by growth grades, which may help sentiment around KO’s fundamental profile. Monster Beverage, Coca-Cola lead S&P 500 consumer staples stocks by growth grades
• Neutral Sentiment: The company announced a leadership transition in its North America operating unit, with Jennifer Mann stepping down and CFO John Murphy taking over temporarily. This is operationally important, but the market impact is likely limited unless it signals broader strategic changes. The Coca-Cola Company Announces Leadership Transition for North America Operating Unit
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching the company’s long-running $20 billion IRS tax dispute, which has reached a promising stage in court but still represents a potential overhang on long-term cash flow and taxes. Coca-Cola’s longstanding $20B tax case is off to a promising start in the courtroom
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analysis questioning whether the current share price is justified after a roughly 19% one-year decline could temper enthusiasm, even though the stock remains viewed by some as attractively valued. Coca-Cola (KO) Stock After 19% Year Loss Is The Current Price Justified?

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Friday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group increased their price target on CocaCola from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $84.00 price objective for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.88.

CocaCola Stock Up 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market cap of $355.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.35. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $79.44 and its 200 day moving average price is $76.28.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.05. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The firm had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 23,984 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.41, for a total value of $2,000,505.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 157,400 shares in the company, valued at $13,128,734. The trade was a 13.22% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total value of $34,960,398.48. Following the completion of 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 have sold 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Norges Bank acquired a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its position in shares of CocaCola by 867.2% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,008,954,000 after purchasing an additional 12,939,959 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1,206.9% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,913,000 after purchasing an additional 9,826,768 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,182,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,809,146,000 after purchasing an additional 9,078,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its stake in CocaCola by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,015,000 after buying an additional 6,246,627 shares in the last quarter. 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.