CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading Up 1.5% - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Coca-Cola shares rose 1.5% on Wednesday, trading as high as $82.51 after closing at $80.46 the prior day.
• Analysts remain bullish, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock holding a consensus Buy rating and average target of $86.80.
• The company posted solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share payable July 1, for a 2.6% annualized yield.

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report)'s stock price was up 1.5% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $82.51 and last traded at $81.6480. Approximately 13,139,418 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 21% from the average daily volume of 16,703,715 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.46.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.80.

CocaCola Stock Up 1.5%

The business's 50-day moving average is $77.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $74.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $351.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.35.

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

CocaCola Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In related news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction 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 represents a 57.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total value of $5,833,593.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 652,289 shares of company stock worth $51,739,054 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 867.2% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,008,954,000 after purchasing an additional 12,939,959 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1,206.9% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $743,913,000 after purchasing an additional 9,826,768 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,182,323 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,809,146,000 after purchasing an additional 9,078,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $879,015,000 after purchasing an additional 6,246,627 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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