CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) Short Interest Up 21.5% in February

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 41,189,418 shares, an increase of 21.5% from the January 29th total of 33,894,174 shares. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 23,273,059 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 23,273,059 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.8 days. Currently, 1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management is accelerating a digital transformation across marketing, supply‑chain and analytics aimed at driving long‑term efficiency and margin expansion — a clear fundamental tailwind if execution stays on track. Is Coca-Cola’s Digital Transformation a Catalyst for Margin Expansion?
• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola recently raised its quarterly dividend (supporting yield investor demand) and remains a long‑standing dividend stalwart — this helps steady demand from income‑oriented funds. Valuation Check After Another Dividend Raise For Income Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokerages continue to favor KO (consensus “Buy” with several target raises), which supports medium‑term investor confidence and limits downside.
• Neutral Sentiment: KO has been a trending topic on screens and in sector roundups (Zacks/Yahoo); this can bring short‑term attention and flows but is not a direct company catalyst. KO Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Large institutional holders remain heavily invested (Vanguard, State Street, etc.), which roughly stabilizes share ownership over time but doesn’t remove near‑term volatility. KO Institutional Ownership
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling on March 2–3: CEO James Quincey (250,688 shares), CFO John Murphy (72,449 shares) and other senior execs trimmed holdings — large, clustered sales have likely driven short‑term selling pressure and negative sentiment. SEC Form 4 (Quincey) SEC Form 4 (Murphy)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/coverage pieces raising questions about earnings quality and reporting nuances add to caution among value‑oriented traders and may deepen short‑term weakness. Seeking Alpha: Earnings Quality Still Not Great

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE KO opened at $76.96 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. CocaCola has a twelve month low of $65.35 and a twelve month high of $82.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $74.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.05. The firm has a market cap of $330.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.35.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.14, for a total transaction of $19,839,448.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 278,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,013,186.70. The trade was a 47.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 869,045 shares of company stock worth $68,407,201 in the last ninety days. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gunpowder Capital Management LLC dba Oliver Wealth Management bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $45,000. Worthington Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the fourth quarter valued at $474,000. Bayban bought a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter valued at $566,000. AG Campbell Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth $87,000. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 47.1% in the 4th quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,006,000 after buying an additional 4,608 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KO shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.33.

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.