CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Sets New 52-Week High - Here's Why

Key Points

• Coca-Cola stock hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $84.14 and ending around $83.93 after rising 3.2% on the day.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with 15 Buy ratings and just one Hold; the consensus price target is $86.88, and several firms recently raised their targets.
• Recent earnings and dividends support the move: Coca-Cola beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates, posted 11.4% year-over-year revenue growth, and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share for a 2.5% annual yield.

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $84.14 and last traded at $83.93, with a volume of 17926160 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $81.29.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings raised CocaCola from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup lifted their price target on CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.88.

CocaCola Trading Up 3.2%

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 capitalization of $361.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $79.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $76.57.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The business's revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In related news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,074,096.90. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total value of $34,960,398.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at $9,842,608.29. The trade was a 78.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 899,905 shares of company stock valued at $71,832,315. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company's stock worth $11,734,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992,327 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in CocaCola by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,273,037,000 after buying an additional 433,547 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth $3,865,807,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in CocaCola by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 44,018,963 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,347,642,000 after buying an additional 3,836,640 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

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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