CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Hits New 52-Week High – Here’s Why

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $80.55 and last traded at $80.4420, with a volume of 7052341 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $79.84.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board approved Coca‑Cola’s 64th consecutive annual dividend increase (about a ~4% raise) and announced an investor‑relations leadership change — reinforces a commitment to steady cash returns and supports demand from income investors. What Coca-Cola (KO)’s 64th Straight Dividend Hike and IR Leadership Shift Means For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: KO’s expanding Zero Sugar lineup is cited as a key source of share gains and volume momentum as consumers shift toward lower‑sugar options — a structural growth driver for volumes and category share. Can Coca-Cola’s Zero Sugar Portfolio Drive Its Volume Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: BofA raised its price target on KO to $88 (from $85) and reiterated a Buy rating, citing positive execution and outlook — incremental analyst support that can attract investors. BofA Lifts Coca-Cola (KO) Target as Outlook and Execution Remain Strong
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction pieces note the stock moved up after the dividend announcement and amid continued interest in dividend payers — short‑term buying from income‑oriented flows. CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading Up 1.1% Following Dividend Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage noting KO’s resilience while other dividend names cooled reinforces relative defensive appeal — investors rotating into stable dividend growers. Crown Castle and AT&T Tumble While Coca-Cola Rises as Dividened Stocks Take a Breather
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes and forecasts for FY2027 were published; this sets expectations but contains no major surprises that would immediately change the outlook. Analysts Set Expectations for CocaCola FY2027 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Hedge‑fund and media writeups flag KO as a top sugar/dividend stock buy — positive sentiment but largely reiterative of existing bullish views rather than new catalysts. Why The Coca-Cola Company (KO) Is One of the Best Sugar Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation warning: Benzinga/Yahoo coverage highlights a sharp drop in KO’s value score after a ~15% YTD rally, arguing the stock looks stretched and that the company’s 2026 outlook was tepid — a potential headwind if investors rotate out on valuation concerns. Coca-Cola Loses Fizz As Value Score Drops After 15% YTD Surge, Tepid 2026 Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional syndicated coverage repeats the dividend/hedge‑fund positive narrative for broader investor audiences. Useful for sentiment context but duplicative of items above. Why the Coca-Cola Company (KO) is one of the best sugar stocks to buy according to hedge funds

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America increased their target price on CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group lifted their price target on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One 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.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

CocaCola Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $346.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $70.46.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.11%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total value of $26,046,230.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,410,296.60. This represents a 49.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in CocaCola by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,200,276,000 after purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,734,417,000 after buying an additional 1,992,327 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,273,037,000 after buying an additional 433,547 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,816,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,581 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

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.