CocaCola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group trimmed its Coca‑Cola stake by 3.7% in Q4, selling 389,783 shares and now holds 10,019,015 shares (~0.23%) valued at about $700.4M.
• Significant insider selling — insiders have sold 892,925 shares (~$70.25M) in the past three months, including transactions by Bruno Pietracci and EVP Nancy Quan.
• Dividend hike and mixed quarter — Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annual $2.12, 2.7% yield) and reported Q EPS of $0.58 (beat) but revenue of $11.82B (below expectations), with FY2026 guidance of $3.210–3.240 EPS.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,019,015 shares of the company's stock after selling 389,783 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of CocaCola worth $700,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 78.5% during the 4th quarter. Altfest L J & Co. Inc. now owns 28,930 shares of the company's stock worth $2,022,000 after buying an additional 12,722 shares during the last quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Beacon Harbor Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 106,369 shares of the company's stock worth $7,436,000 after buying an additional 1,064 shares during the last quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 19,783 shares of the company's stock worth $1,383,000 after buying an additional 762 shares during the last quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 22.6% during the 4th quarter. Kellett Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,958 shares of the company's stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 913 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mainsail Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Mainsail Financial Group LLC now owns 15,807 shares of the company's stock worth $1,105,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total transaction of $2,284,228.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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 value of $1,872,702.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $17,754,735. The trade was a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

CocaCola Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $77.48 on Friday. 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 business's 50 day simple moving average is $77.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.60. The stock has a market capitalization of $333.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.36. CocaCola Company has a twelve month low of $65.35 and a twelve month high of $82.00.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola's payout ratio is currently 69.74%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on KO. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays increased their target price on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 target price on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sharp drop in short interest — Short interest fell ~14% to ~46.2M shares as of March 31, reducing the % of shares short to ~1.1% and lowering the days‑to‑cover to ~2.8; this reduces downside squeeze risk and can be supportive for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and bullish notes — Recent analyst activity includes at least one upgrade that pushed the stock up in recent sessions and UBS saying KO is likely to rise, which can lift investor sentiment. Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Brand and marketing push — Coca‑Cola launched the yearlong America250 campaign (state‑themed packaging, events, community programs) that aims to reinforce brand relevance and drive consumer engagement in the U.S. over 2026. America250 Campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑term market moves and coverage pieces — Several market writeups note recent intraday gains and KO’s relative performance vs. peers; useful for context but not necessarily directional catalysts. Market Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst chatter on timing — Retail pieces discussing whether to buy ahead of upcoming dates create trading interest but are not company fundamentals. Investor Advice
• Negative Sentiment: BofA sees regional divergence; UCV below consensus — Bank of America expects Q1 underlying consumption volumes roughly flat to slightly down (-0.2% year‑over‑year), with strength in NA/EMEA offset by Asia weakness; this forecast is below Visible Alpha consensus and could pressure near‑term expectations. BofA Demand Note
• Negative Sentiment: Small earnings revision downward — Erste Group trimmed FY‑2026 EPS modestly (from $3.23 to $3.22), a minor downgrade but indicative of cautious analyst sentiment; could temper investor expectations. Erste Group Estimate Cut

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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