CocaCola Company (The) $KO Stock Bought by IFP Advisors Inc

Key Points

• Institutional ownership increased: IFP Advisors raised its Coca-Cola position by 28.4% to 90,709 shares valued at approximately $7.8 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.26% of KO.
• Analysts remain positive: Coca-Cola has an overall “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average price target of $96.27. Several firms recently raised their targets to between $97 and $100.
• Solid results and dividend support the stock: Coca-Cola beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with sales up 6.2% year over year, and declared a $0.53 quarterly dividend, representing a 2.3% annualized yield. However, shares trade at a relatively elevated P/E ratio of 28.14, while insiders have sold significant amounts of stock.

IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 28.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 90,709 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,061 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in CocaCola were worth $7,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KO. Louisbourg Investments Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 38.7% in the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the period. Finally, Timbuktu Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola in the second quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus increased their price objective on CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $100.00 target price (up from $89.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. BNP Paribas Exane upped their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on CocaCola from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.27.

CocaCola Stock Performance

CocaCola stock opened at $93.72 on Monday. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $67.27 and a fifty-two week high of $94.10. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $88.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.39. The stock has a market cap of $403.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.30.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.30 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. This represents a 35.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total value of $861,367.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,082.50. This represents a 13.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: KFC switches from Pepsi to Coca-Cola: KFC will replace PepsiCo beverages with Coca-Cola products at its U.S. restaurants next year, ending a relationship that began in 1986. The high-profile contract should provide incremental fountain volume, strengthen Coca-Cola’s North American position and pressure PepsiCo. KFC to switch to Coca-Cola beverages in U.S. restaurants
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: UBS reaffirmed its Buy rating, while Jefferies maintained a Buy rating and Barclays reportedly raised its price target. Analysts view the KFC win as evidence of improving competitive momentum in North America. Jefferies maintains Coca-Cola Buy rating
• Positive Sentiment: Rotation into defensive stocks: Coca-Cola, Visa and Mastercard reached records as investors rotated away from chip and artificial-intelligence stocks. KO’s low-beta profile and dependable cash flows make it a potential beneficiary if technology-market volatility increases. Coca-Cola, Visa and Mastercard hit records
• Positive Sentiment: Strong brand and product execution: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar volume grew 16% in the second quarter, outpacing 5% growth for the broader Coca-Cola trademark. Localized pricing, marketing and product strategies are also supporting global consumer engagement. How Coca-Cola is using local execution to fuel global growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend remains a support: Coca-Cola declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, or $2.12 annualized, representing an indicated yield of about 2.3%. The payout reinforces KO’s income appeal, although the stock’s elevated valuation limits the margin of safety.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and growth questions: At roughly 28 times earnings, investors are paying a premium for a mature company. The Zero Sugar gains may partly reflect consumers switching among Coca-Cola products rather than creating entirely new demand, which could limit the long-term earnings benefit. Is Zero Sugar creating new demand or shifting existing sales?

CocaCola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company NYSE: KO is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world's most recognized soft drink brands.

The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.

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