44,686 CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Gradient Investments LLC

Key Points

• Gradient Investments reduced its Coca-Cola stake by 7.9%, selling 44,686 shares and retaining 518,454 shares valued at approximately $44.6 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of KO.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable: 21 analysts rate the stock Strong Buy or Buy, versus two Holds, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $95.95 price target.
• Coca-Cola reported quarterly EPS of $0.97 and revenue of $13.37 billion, both above estimates, while revenue grew 6.2% year over year. The company also paid a $0.53 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 2.4% annual yield.

Gradient Investments LLC decreased its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 518,454 shares of the company's stock after selling 44,686 shares during the quarter. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $44,629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Louisbourg Investments Inc. acquired a new position in CocaCola in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new stake in CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management bought a new stake in CocaCola during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Atomic Invest LLC boosted its stake in CocaCola by 38.7% in the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. Truist Financial set a $88.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Friday, June 26th. Argus upped their price objective on CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $100.00 target price (up from $89.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $95.95.

CocaCola Stock Up 2.4%

Shares of KO traded up $2.05 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $87.87. The stock had a trading volume of 5,234,779 shares, compared to its average volume of 16,866,877. The firm has a market cap of $378.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $88.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.64. CocaCola Company has a twelve month low of $66.00 and a twelve month high of $92.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%.CocaCola's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.66%.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raised outlook supports the bull case. Coca-Cola has lifted its earnings outlook, following strong volume growth and a record of beating analyst expectations. The company recently reported quarterly revenue above estimates and earnings of $0.97 per share versus a $0.93 consensus, with revenue up 6.2% year over year. Coca-Cola Raises Its Outlook, Is The Stock Still Undervalued?
• Positive Sentiment: Product innovation is broadening Coca-Cola’s growth opportunities. The company is introducing or promoting zero-sugar and prebiotic beverages, including new banana and vanilla soda offerings, as it adapts to changing consumer preferences and increased GLP-1 drug use. Coke's prebiotic soda, Starbucks-Chipotle tie-up, Modelo sales: Food roundup
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst and income-investor support remains favorable. Wells Fargo reaffirmed its Buy rating, while commentary continues to highlight Coca-Cola’s global distribution network, approximately 28.5% net margin and long history of dividend increases. Wells Fargo Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Coca-Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with PepsiCo and Monster Beverage are favorable but subjective. Recent articles portray Coca-Cola as the steadier, more durable dividend investment than PepsiCo, while Monster offers faster growth and a stronger balance sheet. These comparisons reinforce KO’s defensive profile but do not create a new company-specific catalyst. Coca-Cola vs. Monster Beverage
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is the main risk. Despite its strong volume performance, repeated guidance increases and consistent earnings beats, analysts question whether investors are paying too much for Coca-Cola’s safety premium. With a forward valuation near 26 times earnings, further upside may require sustained growth rather than merely stable results. Is Coca-Cola's Safety Premium Getting Too Expensive?

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total transaction of $861,367.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,082.50. This represents a 13.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total value of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,186,798.70. The trade was a 18.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company NYSE: KO is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its portfolio includes sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and other ready-to-drink products. The company's best-known brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, Powerade, Minute Maid, fairlife, and Georgia Coffee.

Founded in 1886, the company develops, owns, licenses, markets, and distributes beverage brands through a network of bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service operators.

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