Bank of Montreal Can Increases Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Bank of Montreal boosted its stake in The Coca‑Cola Company by 15.5% in Q3 to 6,125,674 shares (about 0.14% of the company) valued at roughly $406.3 million.
• Insider selling has been notable recently — executives sold shares (e.g., EVP Nancy Quan and EVP Beatriz R. Perez) and insiders have disposed of 869,045 shares (~$68.4M) in the last 90 days, including a CEO sale of about $19.8M.
• The company announced its 64th consecutive dividend increase, raising the quarterly payout to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, yield ~2.7%), and Wall Street maintains a consensus "Buy" with an average price target near $84.33.

Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 15.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,125,674 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 823,781 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.14% of CocaCola worth $406,255,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,846,270,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 367,441,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,996,519,000 after purchasing an additional 6,241,163 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 7,239.2% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,149,632 shares of the company's stock valued at $435,086,000 after purchasing an additional 6,065,840 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 343.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,486,096 shares of the company's stock valued at $297,518,000 after purchasing an additional 3,474,015 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in CocaCola by 28.7% in the 2nd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 11,713,984 shares of the company's stock worth $828,764,000 after purchasing an additional 2,613,316 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 21,326 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.75, for a total transaction of $1,722,074.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 173,728 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,028,536. This trade represents a 10.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 869,045 shares of company stock valued at $68,407,201 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board names Henrique Braun as incoming CEO and moves current CEO James Quincey to Executive Chairman; Board also approved Coca‑Cola's 64th consecutive annual dividend increase — signals continuity of capital returns and management succession planning that typically supports dividend‑sensitive stocks. Coca‑Cola Leadership Shift Puts Focus On Dividend Strength And Cash Flows
• Positive Sentiment: Media roundups highlight KO as a long‑term dividend stalwart and buy‑and‑hold idea thanks to decades of consecutive dividend increases — this supports demand from income and dividend‑focused investors. 2 Best Dividend Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Forever
• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a new vice president appointment and reiterated the 64th consecutive dividend increase — small governance update but adds to the dividend narrative that can underpin valuation. The Coca‑Cola Company (KO) Raises Annual Dividend for 64th Consecutive Year and Appoints New VP
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis flags emerging markets (India, China, ASEAN) as the key long‑term growth engine for Coca‑Cola but notes near‑term hurdles — positive long‑run thesis but less immediacy for quarterly moves. Are Emerging Markets Key to Coca‑Cola's Long‑Term Revenue Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Company presentation transcript from Citi's Global Consumer & Retail Conference provides management commentary and execution details — useful for modeling but not an immediate shock. The Coca‑Cola Company (KO) Presents at Citi's 2026 Global Consumer & Retail Conference 2026 Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparison pieces (KO vs. Altria) and dividend‑themed articles keep Coca‑Cola in investor conversations about safety and yield but mainly influence sentiment rather than fundamentals. Better Stock to Buy Right Now: Coca‑Cola (KO) vs. Altria (MO)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling reported: an insider disposition of ~$2.28M — raises routine governance questions; impact depends on whether sales are planned diversification vs. loss of confidence. Insider Selling: CocaCola NYSE: KO Insider Sells $2,284,228.65 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sale disclosed: CEO sold ~$19.8M in KO stock — material dollar amount that can prompt short‑term selling pressure or investor questions about timing and rationale. CocaCola NYSE: KO CEO Sells $19,839,448.32 in Stock

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on KO. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup increased their target price on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.33.

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $77.85 on Tuesday. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $65.35 and a 12 month high of $82.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $75.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $71.17. The company has a market cap of $334.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. CocaCola's payout ratio is currently 67.11%.

CocaCola 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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