CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading Up 1% on Analyst Upgrade

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) traded up 1% during trading on Friday after JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on the stock from $85.00 to $90.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the stock. CocaCola traded as high as $83.74 and last traded at $83.4930. Approximately 10,443,347 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 40% from the average session volume of 17,406,557 shares. The stock had previously closed at $82.63.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $83.00 price target on CocaCola in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $88.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $7,946,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 181,384 shares in the company, valued at $14,412,772.64. This trade represents a 35.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total value of $2,559,411.25. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,074,096.90. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 899,905 shares of company stock valued at $71,832,315 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies and Bank of America expect Coca-Cola to deliver a solid second quarter, citing steady volume trends, resilient demand, and a likely modest earnings beat versus Street estimates. Coca-Cola expected to post solid second-quarter results as analysts highlight resilient demand
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America raised its price target on KO to $95 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence in further upside. Benzinga report on Bank of America target raise
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan lifted its price target on Coca-Cola to $90 and maintained an overweight rating, reflecting continued optimism about the company’s outlook. Tickerreport.com report on JPMorgan target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Marriott announced a global beverage partnership making Coca-Cola its primary beverage provider across guestrooms, restaurants, lounges, and events, which could broaden KO’s reach in hospitality. Marriott’s Global Beverage Deal Could Be A Game Changer For Coca-Cola (KO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Some recent commentary focused on whether KO is getting expensive after its run and on dividend-related concerns, but these pieces did not identify a new company-specific negative catalyst. Is Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Too Rich After Its Run?
• Negative Sentiment: One article noted Coca-Cola’s shares recently slipped despite broader market gains, suggesting some near-term profit-taking after the stock’s strong run. Coca-Cola (KO) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains: Important Facts to Note

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

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

CocaCola Price Performance

The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $80.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.12. The stock has a market cap of $359.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a PEG ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last issued its 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 company had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

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.