CocaCola Company (The) $KO Stock Sold by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

Key Points

• ZWJ Investment Counsel reduced its Coca-Cola stake by 1.1%, selling 14,816 shares and retaining 1.29 million shares valued at approximately $110.7 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 70.26% of KO.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable: Coca-Cola has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $96.05, while several brokerages recently raised their targets.
• Coca-Cola exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with EPS of $0.97 and revenue of $13.37 billion. However, shares trade near their 52-week high at a relatively elevated P/E of 27.56, and recent insider selling and dividend coverage concerns warrant monitoring.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 1,285,544 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,816 shares during the quarter. CocaCola makes up 3.1% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $110,660,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Banco Santander S.A. raised its holdings in CocaCola by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company's stock valued at $88,646,000 after buying an additional 32,723 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in CocaCola by 68.5% during the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 218,199 shares of the company's stock worth $17,733,000 after acquiring an additional 88,690 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its holdings in CocaCola by 402.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 163,248 shares of the company's stock worth $14,052,000 after acquiring an additional 130,746 shares during the last quarter. Moore Capital Management LP bought a new stake in CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $12,905,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in CocaCola by 2,091.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 361,934 shares of the company's stock worth $29,414,000 after acquiring an additional 345,417 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on KO. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price target (up from $88.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Rothschild & Co Redburn boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Argus increased their price objective on CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group raised their target price on CocaCola from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $96.05.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of KO opened at $91.78 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $88.24 and a 200-day moving average of $83.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $394.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 0.32. CocaCola Company has a 1 year low of $66.92 and a 1 year high of $92.49.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $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. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.30 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. This trade represents a 35.26% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total transaction of $861,367.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,082.50. This trade represents a 13.82% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Defensive strength attracted buyers. Coca-Cola gained while the broader market declined, suggesting investors viewed its global brands, recurring demand and relatively low-volatility profile as a cushion during market weakness. Coca-Cola Gains As Market Dips
• Positive Sentiment: Technical momentum improved. KO moved above its 50-day moving average on Oct. 8 and has outperformed several consumer-staples benchmarks. Brand strength, pricing, product innovation and operating efficiency are supporting the bullish case. Coca-Cola Stock Breaks Above 50-Day Moving Average
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains supportive. The average brokerage recommendation is equivalent to a Buy, while elevated investor searches may increase near-term attention and trading interest. Brokers Suggest Investing in Coca-Cola
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals and portfolio positioning support KO. Coca-Cola recently exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, raised adjusted full-year earnings guidance, and continues to appeal to income investors after 63 consecutive years of dividend increases. Its possible expansion into prebiotic sodas such as Poppi and Olipop could broaden growth opportunities.
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalysts could keep the stock in focus. Investors are watching reports of a potential Costa Coffee sale and the company’s scheduled Oct. 27 third-quarter earnings release. Neither development has been confirmed as a material earnings catalyst. Coca-Cola Costa Coffee and Earnings Update
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation limits the upside. With a P/E ratio around 27.6 and shares near the 52-week high, investors may demand continued earnings growth to justify further gains.
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend sustainability warrants monitoring. Coca-Cola’s dividend payments exceeded free cash flow by billions last year, creating a potential constraint if cash generation does not improve. Coca-Cola Dividend Sustainability
• Negative Sentiment: Weakness at PepsiCo highlights category risk. PepsiCo’s weaker North American volumes and reduced outlook could signal pressure from cautious consumers, inflation and changing beverage preferences across the broader sector, even though Coca-Cola’s outlook is currently stronger.

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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