CocaCola Company (The) $KO Position Increased by Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd

Key Points

• Alphinity Investment Management raised its Coca‑Cola stake 12.5% to 8,081,110 shares (worth about $564.95M), making KO 5.7% of its portfolio; institutional investors now own roughly 70.26% of the company.
• Coca‑Cola beat EPS expectations last quarter ($0.58 vs. $0.56) but missed revenue estimates ($11.82B vs. ~$12.04B), and the company set FY2026 guidance at $3.210–3.240 EPS with analysts targeting about $3.23.
• The board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, ~2.8% yield), while insiders sold about 892,925 shares (~$70.25M) over the last quarter, leaving insiders with 0.90% ownership.

Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd grew its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 12.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,081,110 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 894,953 shares during the period. CocaCola comprises 5.7% of Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding. Alphinity Investment Management Pty Ltd owned 0.19% of CocaCola worth $564,950,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KO. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 15.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,592,732,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,198 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter valued at about $226,443,000. Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter valued at about $161,130,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 288.1% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,025,595 shares of the company's stock valued at $211,519,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245,959 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 9.9% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 18,902,256 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,253,992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,709,860 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect a resilient Q1: UBS and other outlets project roughly $0.81 EPS for Q1, signaling steady demand and the potential for an earnings beat that could support the stock. Coca‑Cola Q1 earnings set to show resilience amid uncertain backdrop
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional interest: reports that Steve Cohen’s Point72 has been aggressively buying certain names (including KO in coverage) suggest smart‑money conviction that could provide upside momentum. Steve Cohen's Point72 Is Aggressively Buying These 3 Stocks. Here's Why They're Worth A Closer Look
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic shift and pricing power: coverage highlights Coca‑Cola’s pivot from a pure dividend narrative toward growth initiatives and consistent pricing (roughly +4% pricing actions), supporting margins in a cost‑inflation environment. That reinforces medium‑term earnings durability. Forget the Dividend Narrative. Coca‑Cola Has Quietly Pivoted Its Growth Strategy.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consensus expectations: multiple outlets (Zacks, Yahoo) flag that Wall Street broadly expects modest earnings growth next week — this sets a low bar but also raises sensitivity to any revenue or margin miss. Coca‑Cola (KO) Reports Next Week: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Pricing strategy under scrutiny: analysts note KO is leaning on price increases and value offers to offset volume pressure — sustainable if consumers accept prices, but a risk if lower‑income consumers pull back. Coca‑Cola's Pricing Strategy: Sustainable in a Softening Market?
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term selling pressure: market reports show KO has fallen more steeply than the broader market today, reflecting profit‑taking, cautious positioning ahead of the earnings release, and sensitivity to short‑term macro news. Coca‑Cola (KO) Falls More Steeply Than Broader Market: What Investors Need to Know

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of KO opened at $74.79 on Wednesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $321.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.60, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $77.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.10. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $82.00.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The company's revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.53 dividend. This is a boost from CocaCola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CocaCola currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $85.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total transaction of $7,996,723.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 410,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,016,431. This represents a 19.50% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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