CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Magnetar Financial LLC

Key Points

• Magnetar Financial LLC reduced its stake in Coca‑Cola by 23.0% in Q3, selling 22,710 shares and now owning 75,990 shares valued at about $5.04 million.
• Significant insider selling occurred: EVPs Nancy Quan and Monica Howard Douglas each sold roughly 23.5k–23.9k shares, and insiders disposed of 892,925 shares (~$70.25M) over the last quarter, leaving insiders with 0.97% ownership.
• Wall Street is broadly positive with a consensus "Buy" rating and an average price target of $84.40, while Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (its 64th consecutive increase); however, some analysts warn the recent rally has pushed the stock to a premium valuation, raising near‑term downside risk.

Magnetar Financial LLC reduced its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 23.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 75,990 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,710 shares during the period. Magnetar Financial LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $5,040,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.7% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 367,441,971 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,996,519,000 after acquiring an additional 6,241,163 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 82.3% during the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 49,700 shares of the company's stock worth $3,296,000 after acquiring an additional 22,444 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 2.9% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,051,957 shares of the company's stock worth $136,086,000 after acquiring an additional 57,407 shares in the last quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 42.3% in the third quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. now owns 185,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,269,000 after purchasing an additional 55,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 1.9% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 10,408,798 shares of the company's stock valued at $690,311,000 after purchasing an additional 198,886 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on KO. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and issued a $83.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.40.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and coverage highlight KO’s defensive profile and YTD outperformance tied to strong brands and pricing power, supporting cash flow and dividend reliability. Why is Coca‑Cola stock rallying this year while S&P slumps?
• Positive Sentiment: Research notes KO climbed ~12.5% in a month — analysts credit resilient demand and pricing as reasons to expect continued cash generation, though they caution on valuation. Coca‑Cola Stock Rises 12.5% in a Month: Buy the Rally or Wait?
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary from The Motley Fool emphasizes rising organic revenue and a robust dividend, making KO attractive to income and defensive investors. Coca‑Cola Stock Is Crushing the Market This Year. Is It Time to Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: KO’s recent FY‑2025 results, a 64th consecutive dividend increase and management’s FY‑2026 guidance underscore durable cash flow and shareholder returns. How Coca‑Cola’s 64th Dividend Hike and New CEO Will Impact Coca‑Cola (KO) Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage notes emerging markets (India, China, ASEAN) remain a structural growth outlet that supports medium‑term revenue expansion. Are Emerging Markets Key to Coca‑Cola's Long‑Term Revenue Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend‑safety comparisons vs. Pepsi are useful for portfolio allocation but are not immediate price catalysts. Coke vs Pepsi: Which Dividend Is Actually Safer?
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s Citi conference presentation reiterated strategy and operational priorities but contained no new, market‑moving disclosures. KO Presents at Citi's 2026 Global Consumer & Retail Conference
• Negative Sentiment: EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares (~57% reduction in her stake) — a notable insider sale that can be interpreted negatively by some investors. SEC Form 4 — Insider Sale Disclosure
• Negative Sentiment: Several analysts warn the recent rally has lifted KO to a premium valuation (higher P/E, PEG), which could constrain near‑term upside and increase downside risk on any earnings miss. Coca‑Cola Stock Rises 12.5% in a Month: Buy the Rally or Wait?

Insider Activity

In other CocaCola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,754,735. This represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $1,847,595.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. The trade was a 57.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 over the last quarter. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $77.61 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $75.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.27. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $82.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $333.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The business's revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued 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 yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

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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