Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Freedom Broker Analyst Says

Key Points

• Freedom Broker raised Coca-Cola’s price target from $85 to $89 but maintained a “hold” rating, implying roughly 3% downside from the prior close. The broader analyst consensus remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $97.26.
• Coca-Cola exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.91 versus $0.88 expected and revenue of $13.35 billion versus $12.92 billion expected. Revenue increased 7.2% year over year, supported by volume growth and demand for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.
• Management raised its full-year comparable EPS-growth outlook to at least 11%, though investors are monitoring flat North American volume, legal and divestiture-related risks, and the stock’s elevated valuation.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by research analysts at Freedom Broker from $85.00 to $89.00 in a report released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "hold" rating on the stock. Freedom Broker's price target suggests a potential downside of 3.00% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KO. Argus upped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $88.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, HSBC increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

KO stock traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $91.75. 13,141,024 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,908,770. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $89.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.73. Coca-Cola has a 52-week low of $67.27 and a 52-week high of $95.37. The company has a market capitalization of $394.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The firm had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Coca-Cola will post 3.30 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total transaction of $10,126,419.45. Following the sale, the insider owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,319.45. This trade represents a 72.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,439,553.27. This represents a 35.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 323,806 shares of company stock valued at $28,820,577. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 4.4% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,958,636 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,735,058,000 after acquiring an additional 1,939,673 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,354,414 shares of the company's stock worth $2,954,523,000 after purchasing an additional 162,097 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,053,752 shares of the company's stock worth $2,361,198,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439,026 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 18,822,295 shares of the company's stock worth $1,431,495,000 after purchasing an additional 235,785 shares during the period. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 15,272,831 shares of the company's stock worth $1,241,223,000 after purchasing an additional 113,599 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their price targets and maintained bullish ratings. Citigroup lifted its target to $103 with a “buy” rating, JPMorgan raised its target to $98 while maintaining an “overweight” rating, and TD Cowen increased its target to $104 with a “buy” rating. Coca-Cola analyst forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola exceeded third-quarter expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.91 versus $0.88 expected and revenue of roughly $13.35 billion versus $12.92 billion expected. Revenue increased 7.2% year over year, while global unit-case volume rose 5%, led by strong demand for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Coca-Cola Q3 earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year comparable EPS-growth outlook to at least 11%, up from 9% to 10%, marking the third consecutive outlook increase. Investors also cited $11.4 billion in year-to-date free cash flow and Coca-Cola’s 64-year record of dividend increases as evidence of financial resilience. Is Coca-Cola a buy after earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage continues to portray KO as a defensive, dependable consumer-staples holding, with resilient U.S. consumer spending and long-term growth potential supporting investor interest. Coca-Cola also launched a wetlands-restoration and water-resilience project in Morocco, reinforcing its sustainability efforts but offering limited near-term earnings impact. Coca-Cola Morocco water project
• Negative Sentiment: North American volume was flat, with weakness in water, sports drinks, coffee and tea. Investors are also monitoring open IRS litigation, potential revenue pressure from divestitures and the stock’s elevated valuation after its strong 2026 advance. Coca-Cola earnings outlook and risks

Coca-Cola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company NYSE: KO is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands.

The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.

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