CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Fred Alger Management LLC

Fred Alger Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 6.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 104,113 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,687 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $6,958,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in CocaCola by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 368,885,160 shares of the company’s stock worth $24,464,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443,189 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,846,270,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 15.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,592,732,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,198 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 2.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,051,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,860,395,000 after purchasing an additional 770,235 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in CocaCola by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 26,721,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,772,193,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,760 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CocaCola Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE:KO opened at $77.81 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $334.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.35. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $82.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.47.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola’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. Sell-side analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.74%.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on KO to $90 and kept a “buy” rating, signaling incremental analyst optimism and providing upside to consensus expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat and management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance (3.210–3.240), supporting confidence in earnings durability and dividend coverage—factors that attract income investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Zero‑sugar SKUs (Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite Zero Sugar) are being cited as margin drivers—helping pricing power, volume growth and mix improvement as consumers shift to low‑calorie options. This supports profit expansion without heavy volume reliance. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Investor media continue to highlight KO as a defensive, dividend-oriented holding (Dividend King, top consumer‑staples picks), which can keep demand for the shares high among income and risk‑averse portfolios. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola launched a Mango Citrus Sprite exclusive at Walmart (Sprite Chill), expanding flavored offerings and retail partnerships; the company also announced longtime director Maria Elena Lagomasino will retire after 18 years — product/news is constructive, director exit is governance‑neutral for now. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argues it’s time to “play defensive” on KO, highlighting risks (valuation, growth constraints or cyclicality in emerging categories) that could limit near‑term upside and pressure sentiment among value/rotation investors. Read More.

Insider Activity

In other CocaCola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,754,735. The trade was a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total transaction of $2,284,228.65. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays boosted 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. Citigroup raised their target price on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.60.

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.