CocaCola Company (The) $KO Stock Acquired by Wedmont Private Capital

Key Points

• Wedmont Private Capital increased its Coca-Cola stake by 16.5% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 80,484 shares valued at approximately $7.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.26% of KO.
• Coca-Cola reported quarterly earnings and revenue above expectations, with EPS of $0.97 and revenue of $13.37 billion. The company maintained 2026 EPS guidance of $3.27–$3.30 and pays a quarterly dividend of $0.53, yielding about 2.4%.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $95.95, but valuation is a concern as the stock trades at roughly 26 times earnings. Recent insider sales totaled $83.1 million, though the transactions were primarily to cover tax obligations on vested equity awards.

Wedmont Private Capital grew its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 16.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 80,484 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 11,392 shares during the quarter. Wedmont Private Capital's holdings in CocaCola were worth $7,064,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in CocaCola by 3.6% during the second quarter. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,316 shares of the company's stock valued at $270,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in CocaCola by 4.1% in the second quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Atomic Invest LLC lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 38.7% during the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.4% during the second quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,726 shares of the company's stock valued at $709,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kwmg LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Kwmg LLC now owns 6,293 shares of the company's stock valued at $542,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total transaction of $4,519,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,186,798.70. The trade was a 18.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total value of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. The trade was a 35.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Potential Costa Coffee sale could improve capital allocation. Coca-Cola is reportedly revisiting a sale of Costa after its roughly $5 billion acquisition failed to deliver the expected growth. Exiting the business could allow management to refocus on its core beverage portfolio and potentially reduce exposure to a weaker-performing asset. Coca-Cola looks to sell Costa Coffee, Semafor reports
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term investment case remains supported by brand strength and operating efficiency. An analyst reiterated a buy view, citing Coca-Cola’s global brand equity, premium margins, asset-light concentrate model and bottler agreements. Emerging-market growth, particularly in Asia-Pacific, is also viewed as a potential source of future sales and market-share gains. Coca-Cola Is The Ultimate Compounder
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reliability and earnings-growth expectations continue to attract income investors. Coca-Cola is being highlighted as a long-standing dividend compounder, while an investor case suggests earnings growth could support a share price near $100 before 2028. Its latest reported quarter also exceeded consensus earnings and revenue estimates, with full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $3.27 to $3.30. Prediction: Earnings Growth Will Push Coca-Cola Stock to $100 Before 2028
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional buying provides a modest positive signal. Diversified Management more than doubled its KO position in the third quarter, adding 9,434 shares. The purchase is supportive, although its relatively small size is unlikely to materially affect the stock. Diversified Management acquires Coca-Cola shares
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains the main constraint. Commentary notes that KO trades above its historical valuation range despite strong volume growth and repeated guidance increases. Analysts have questioned whether its “safety premium” and approximately 26-times earnings multiple already reflect much of the expected improvement. Is Coca-Cola’s Safety Premium Getting Too Expensive?

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $88.07 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $88.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $378.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. CocaCola Company has a 52 week low of $66.00 and a 52 week high of $92.49.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The company had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 EPS. CocaCola's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th were given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KO. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $89.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. HSBC lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on CocaCola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on CocaCola from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $95.95.

About CocaCola

The Coca-Cola Company NYSE: KO is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its portfolio includes sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and other ready-to-drink products. The company's best-known brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, Powerade, Minute Maid, fairlife, and Georgia Coffee.

Founded in 1886, the company develops, owns, licenses, markets, and distributes beverage brands through a network of bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service operators.

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