Bruno Pietracci Sells 75,727 Shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock

Key Points

• Coca-Cola insider Bruno Pietracci sold 75,727 shares for approximately $6.79 million under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, primarily to cover tax withholding from vested equity awards. His remaining ownership fell 68.15% to 35,393 shares.
• Coca-Cola beat quarterly expectations with EPS of $0.97 versus $0.93 estimated and revenue of $13.37 billion versus $13.17 billion expected. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, and the company raised its 2026 guidance to approximately 5% organic revenue growth and $3.27–$3.30 in EPS.
• Shares traded near their 12-month high at $89.80, while analysts maintained a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $95.56 average price target. Coca-Cola also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) insider Bruno Pietracci sold 75,727 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.65, for a total value of $6,788,925.55. Following the transaction, the insider owned 35,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,172,982.45. This represents a 68.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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.

CocaCola Trading Up 1.7%

KO traded up $1.53 on Wednesday, hitting $89.80. The company had a trading volume of 10,214,971 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,399,564. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $81.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.39. 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 Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $90.92. The company has a market cap of $386.35 billion, a PE ratio of 28.22, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.34.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 40.55% and a net margin of 27.80%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. CocaCola's payout ratio is 66.67%.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat expectations. Coca-Cola reported adjusted earnings of $0.97 per share versus the $0.93 consensus, while revenue reached approximately $13.37 billion, ahead of expectations near $13.17 billion. Revenue rose about 6% year over year, and EPS increased from $0.87 a year earlier. Coca-Cola earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Broad-based demand improved. Global unit case volume grew 5%, reportedly the company’s strongest quarterly volume growth in 17 years, helped by FIFA World Cup-related demand, zero-sugar beverages, fairlife and market-share gains. Higher pricing, product mix and concentrate sales also supported profit growth. Reuters Coca-Cola outlook article
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised 2026 guidance. Coca-Cola now expects approximately 5% organic revenue growth and comparable EPS growth of 9% to 10%, up from previous ranges of 4%-5% and 8%-9%, respectively. Full-year EPS guidance is $3.27-$3.30. Coca-Cola second-quarter results
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets. TD Cowen and Citigroup lifted their targets to $100, Jefferies raised its target to $104, and JPMorgan increased its target to $96. The firms maintained bullish ratings ranging from Buy to Overweight.
• Neutral Sentiment: Fairlife production is recovering after a cyberattack. Coca-Cola said most production has resumed, reducing the risk of a prolonged operational disruption, though the incident remains a near-term consideration. Fairlife production recovery
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and a downgrade temper the bullish case. With KO trading at roughly 28 times earnings after a substantial 2026 gain, some investors see limited additional upside. HSBC downgraded the stock from Strong Buy to Hold, while commentary suggested PepsiCo may offer better value.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $86.00 target price (up from $82.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $100.00 price objective (up from $89.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial set a $88.00 target price on CocaCola in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $552,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in CocaCola by 38.1% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 111,598 shares of the company's stock worth $7,802,000 after acquiring an additional 30,786 shares in the last quarter. Greenberg Financial Group purchased a new stake in CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth $507,000. King Luther Capital Management Corp raised its position in CocaCola by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 3,852,525 shares of the company's stock worth $269,330,000 after acquiring an additional 31,694 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Guys Formula LLC raised its position in CocaCola by 40.5% during the fourth quarter. Retirement Guys Formula LLC now owns 49,056 shares of the company's stock worth $3,429,000 after acquiring an additional 14,130 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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