Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Sees Heavy Call Option Buying

Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Investors acquired 60,740 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 18% compared to the typical daily volume of 51,685 call options.

Top Coca-Cola Stories

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

• Positive Sentiment: Call-option activity was unusually high, with traders acquiring about 60,740 contracts—roughly 18% above typical volume. This may signal increased bullish positioning, though options activity is not a guarantee of future performance.
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest analyst estimate updates are mixed: FY2026 estimates were lifted, while Zacks Research trimmed its Q1 2028 EPS estimate slightly, from $0.95 to $0.94. FY2026 EPS Estimates for Coca-Cola Lifted by Zacks Research
• Negative Sentiment: With KO near a record high, coverage cautions that its premium valuation could make the stock less attractive to new buyers and leave less room for gains if growth disappoints. Coca-Cola Stock Hits 52-Week High: Should You Buy Now or Wait?

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total value of $10,126,419.45. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 41,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,761,319.45. This trade represents a 72.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Beatriz Perez sold 67,548 shares of the company’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 directly owned 160,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,226,221.48. This trade represents a 29.63% 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 have sold a total of 249,498 shares of company stock worth $23,025,238 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Guardian Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 38.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Timbuktu Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on KO shares. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $96.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Barclays boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Freedom Broker increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of KO traded up $1.64 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $99.08. 18,016,764 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 18,540,020. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $90.83 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.31. The company has a market cap of $426.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.28. Coca-Cola has a 1-year low of $67.27 and a 1-year high of $99.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $13.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 38.79% and a net margin of 28.65%. The company’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Coca-Cola will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.35%.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

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.