CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Reaches New 1-Year High on Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Coca-Cola hit a new 52-week high after Citigroup raised its price target to $91 and kept a buy rating, reflecting continued bullish sentiment from Wall Street.
• Multiple analysts have recently boosted their price targets, and MarketBeat data shows 15 analysts now rate the stock a Buy with an average target of $86.53.
• The company’s latest quarterly results were strong, with earnings and revenue beating expectations, while Coca-Cola also announced a $0.53 quarterly dividend payable on July 1.

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday after Citigroup raised their price target on the stock from $90.00 to $91.00. Citigroup currently has a buy rating on the stock. CocaCola traded as high as $82.62 and last traded at $82.5820, with a volume of 2946914 shares. The stock had previously closed at $81.20.

KO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded CocaCola from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $86.53.

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $1,847,595.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. This trade represents a 57.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 755,101 shares of company stock worth $59,988,566. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup and Wells Fargo both raised their price targets on Coca-Cola, reinforcing a bullish Wall Street view that the company can keep delivering steady earnings growth and defend its premium valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary says KO’s Q1 results showed strong revenue growth, pricing gains, and margin expansion, supporting the case for continued profitability and resilience in a higher-rate environment.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts pointed to the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a potential demand catalyst that could boost Coca-Cola’s volumes, especially during the summer season.
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s launch of Fresca Hard expands its ready-to-drink alcohol portfolio, adding another growth avenue and broadening the company’s presence in newer beverage categories.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on international growth noted that strong overseas performance is helping results, but foreign exchange swings, conflicts, and commodity inflation could add volatility. Coca-Cola's International Growth: Key Driver or Volatility Risk?
• Neutral Sentiment: Some recent discussion has focused on insider selling, which may create a small overhang for sentiment, though it does not appear to be changing the broader bullish analyst outlook.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

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

CocaCola Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $77.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $74.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The company has a market cap of $354.53 billion, a PE ratio of 25.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The company's 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. Sell-side analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

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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