CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital trimmed its Coca‑Cola stake by 8.7%, selling 55,506 shares and retaining 582,250 shares worth about $40.7 million (≈0.8% of the fund and its 27th largest holding).
• Significant insider selling: CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares (~$7.996M) and EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares, with insiders disposing of 892,925 shares worth $70.25M over the past three months.
• Positive company results and market response: Coca‑Cola beat Q1 revenue and EPS expectations with double‑digit top‑line growth, declared a $0.53 quarterly dividend (2.7% yield), and saw multiple analyst price‑target upgrades, leaving a MarketBeat consensus "Buy" and $86.27 target.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lessened its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 8.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 582,250 shares of the company's stock after selling 55,506 shares during the period. CocaCola accounts for approximately 0.8% of Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS's holdings in CocaCola were worth $40,705,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KO. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CocaCola news, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of the firm'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 value of $7,996,723.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 410,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,016,431. This trade represents a 19.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,754,735. This represents a 9.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: Coca‑Cola reported stronger-than-expected Q1 revenue and EPS (double‑digit top‑line growth) that drove positive sentiment around durable growth and near-term guidance. Is Coca‑Cola a Buy, Hold, or Sell After Its Q1 2026 Earnings Report?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase/quarterly dividend declared: KO declared a quarterly dividend (record June 15; payable July 1), reinforcing its dividend‑king status and supporting income investor demand.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising targets and ratings after earnings: Several firms have lifted price targets and reiterated/raised ratings following the Q1 beat, signaling analyst confidence in growth momentum. Example coverage of these upgrades is here. Morgan Stanley raises Coca‑Cola stock price target after earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Additional shop‑window coverage and buy recommendations: TD Cowen, JPMorgan and Barclays commentary mentioned in recent coverage has been constructive (higher targets / buy or overweight stances), which can help sustain buying interest. Is The Coca‑Cola Company (KO) One of the Best Large Cap Dividend Growth Stocks to Invest in?
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareowners re‑elected the board and rejected several ESG proposals at the annual meeting — the outcome supports current management strategy but leaves ESG activists disappointed; it’s governance news that may matter to some institutional holders. Coca‑Cola Shareowners Back Board, Reject ESG Proposals
• Negative Sentiment: Some analysts are cautious: Goldman Sachs has a Hold on KO, which could cap near‑term upside and weigh on momentum despite the broader wave of upgrades. Coca‑Cola (KO) Gets a Hold from Goldman Sachs

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.27.

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $78.62 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $338.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.72, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $77.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.52. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $82.00.

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

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

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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