Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd Invests $2.28 Million in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd opened a new position in Coca-Cola during the first quarter, buying 30,000 shares valued at about $2.28 million.
• Coca-Cola reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with earnings of $0.86 per share on revenue of $12.47 billion, and it raised/affirmed full-year expectations around 3.26 EPS.
• The company continues to attract strong investor interest, but insiders have also sold shares recently; at the same time, Coca-Cola declared a $0.53 quarterly dividend, implying a 2.6% annualized yield.

Capricorn Fund Managers Ltd acquired a new stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 30,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,282,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 867.2% during the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company's stock worth $1,008,954,000 after buying an additional 12,939,959 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position 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 buying an additional 9,826,768 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 29.2% during 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 buying an additional 9,078,447 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 98.7% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $879,015,000 after buying an additional 6,246,627 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total transaction of $2,559,411.25. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,074,096.90. The trade was a 12.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total transaction of $34,960,398.48. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,842,608.29. This trade represents a 78.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. Insiders sold 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $81.18 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $349.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.35. The firm's 50 day moving average is $79.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.49. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $84.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

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

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given 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 payout ratio is 66.67%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on KO shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein started coverage on CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $84.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their price objective on CocaCola from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.88.

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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