CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Hilltop Holdings Inc.

Key Points

• Hilltop Holdings cut its Coca-Cola stake by 24.9% in the first quarter, selling 17,578 shares and leaving it with 52,981 shares valued at about $4.03 million.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on KO, with 14 Buy ratings and an average “Moderate Buy” consensus price target of $89.33, above the recent trading price near $82.19.
• Coca-Cola posted stronger-than-expected quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share for a 2.6% yield.

Hilltop Holdings Inc. decreased its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 24.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 52,981 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,578 shares during the period. Hilltop Holdings Inc.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $4,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. increased its position in CocaCola by 867.2% during the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company's stock worth $1,008,954,000 after purchasing an additional 12,939,959 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in CocaCola by 1,206.9% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company's stock worth $743,913,000 after purchasing an additional 9,826,768 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in CocaCola by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,182,323 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,809,146,000 after purchasing an additional 9,078,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its stake in CocaCola by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company's stock valued at $879,015,000 after purchasing an additional 6,246,627 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on KO. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.33.

CocaCola Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $82.19 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market cap of $353.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.34. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $81.43 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $78.05. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $85.68.

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

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is 66.67%.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett reportedly said Coca-Cola remains one of his preferred businesses, reinforcing the company’s reputation as a durable, high-quality consumer staple and potentially supporting investor confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighting Coca-Cola as a top dividend stock and a favorite among large investors may help reinforce the stock’s defensive, income-oriented appeal. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage ahead of Q2 earnings suggests Wall Street is watching for pricing strength and margin gains, which could support the stock if Coca-Cola beats expectations again. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles simply preview Coca-Cola’s upcoming results and key metrics, indicating investor focus is centered on the earnings release rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market commentary noted Coca-Cola underperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting near-term selling pressure on the shares. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst-style pieces argue investors could do better in other dividend stocks or Pepsico, which may create mild competition for Coca-Cola among income-focused buyers. Article Title

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $7,946,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 181,384 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,412,772.64. The trade was a 35.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total value of $34,960,398.48. Following the sale, the chairman owned 122,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,842,608.29. The trade was a 78.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 899,905 shares of company stock valued at $71,832,315. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

CocaCola Company 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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