J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Lowers Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG trimmed its position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 58.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,935 shares of the company’s stock after selling 79,827 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $3,981,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 1,583,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $110,699,000 after purchasing an additional 32,175 shares during the period. Wealth Quarterback LLC grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC now owns 16,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,130,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in CocaCola by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisory Group LLC now owns 7,235 shares of the company’s stock worth $506,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Sherman Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $222,000. Finally, Embree Financial Group lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Embree Financial Group now owns 10,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $706,000 after buying an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of KO opened at $76.05 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.25. CocaCola Company has a 1-year low of $65.35 and a 1-year high of $82.00. The stock has a market cap of $327.31 billion, a PE ratio of 25.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $77.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.05.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The company’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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis 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 is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.74%.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target on KO to $86 and put a Buy rating on the stock — a clear analyst endorsement that boosts upside expectations and can support the share price. Deutsche Bank raises KO price target to $86
• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola is expanding Fairlife production capacity to meet strong demand, which supports revenue and margin outlooks in its premium dairy business. Coca‑Cola expands Fairlife production capacity
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional coverage is highlighting KO as a defensive pick (low beta, steady dividends), which can attract inflows during market volatility and support relative outperformance. Barclays names top 4 defensive stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are noting KO’s ramp of AI and cloud across the value chain — improvements to execution, insights and innovation but not a wholesale tech pivot; this supports efficiency and growth potential but is execution‑dependent. Does Coca‑Cola’s AI and Cloud Push Signal a New Tech‑Led Growth Phase?
• Neutral Sentiment: Technical/price commentary says KO is building momentum after a pullback and holding key support levels — helpful for traders but not a fundamental catalyst. KO price forecast: momentum builds after pullback
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend‑stock comparisons (PepsiCo vs Coca‑Cola) and model analyses keep KO on income investors’ radars — supports steady demand but not an immediate price driver. PepsiCo vs Coca‑Cola: The better dividend stock
• Negative Sentiment: Coca‑Cola announced a CEO transition tied to the next phase of AI/digital growth and is creating a chief digital officer role — leadership change raises near‑term uncertainty around execution and valuation while signaling a strategic shift that will take time to prove out. Coca‑Cola CEO shift puts AI and valuation in fresh focus
• Negative Sentiment: Some headlines urge caution despite KO’s outperformance (reasons to watch and one to be cautious), highlighting valuation and macro risks that could pressure shares amid broader market weakness. 2 reasons to watch KO and 1 to stay cautious

Insider Activity

In other 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 transaction of $26,046,230.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,410,296.60. This represents a 49.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their position. 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 ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group lifted their target price on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $84.80.

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.