CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Bought by Vanguard Group Inc.

Key Points

• Vanguard increased its stake: Vanguard Group raised its Coca‑Cola holding 1.6% in Q4, adding about 5.89 million shares to own 374,771,512 shares (an 8.71% stake) worth roughly $26.2 billion.
• Dividend raised: Coca‑Cola bumped its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (from $0.51), a $2.12 annualized payout with a ~2.8% yield.
• Significant insider selling: Insiders sold 892,925 shares (~$70.25 million) in the last quarter, including CEO James Quincey’s sale of 250,688 shares, materially reducing his ownership.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 374,771,512 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 8.71% of CocaCola worth $26,200,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $76.66 on Friday. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $82.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $77.23 and a 200-day moving average of $73.25. The company has a market capitalization of $329.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. CocaCola's payout ratio is currently 69.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price objective on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.14, for a total value of $19,839,448.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 278,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,013,186.70. This represents a 47.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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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