CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Rating Increased to Hold at Sanford C. Bernstein

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) was upgraded by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on KO. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.69.

CocaCola Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:KO opened at $82.63 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $355.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.98, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $78.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.68. CocaCola has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $84.04.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.05. CocaCola had a return on equity of 40.55% and a net margin of 27.80%.The business had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CocaCola will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other CocaCola news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total value of $7,946,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 207,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,480,004. This trade represents a 32.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total transaction of $2,559,411.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,074,096.90. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 in the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in CocaCola by 438.8% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital reiterated its buy view on Coca-Cola, reinforcing Wall Street’s generally favorable stance on KO and supporting the stock’s recent strength.
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Coca-Cola as a potential beneficiary of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with expectations that beverage volume and consumer spending could rise during the tournament.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary also pointed to strong Q1 results, including an earnings and revenue beat, solid organic growth, and volume gains, which continue to underpin the bullish investment case. Coca-Cola’s Q1 Results Prove It’s a Good Buy to Hold and Hold
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest remains supported by Coca-Cola’s reliable dividend and defensive profile, which continue to attract income-focused buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Jennifer K. Mann disclosed a stock sale, but it was conducted under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan and tied to equity-award tax withholding, making it less of a concern than discretionary insider selling.

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.