Czech National Bank Grows Position in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Czech National Bank raised its stake in Coca‑Cola by 3.8% in Q4 to 1,020,843 shares, buying an additional 37,105 shares worth about $71.37 million.
• Dividend increase and results: Coca‑Cola bumped its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, ~2.8% yield), posted Q EPS of $0.58 (beat by $0.02) and set FY2026 guidance of $3.210–3.240 per share.
• Insider selling: Senior insiders including CFO John Murphy and EVP Nancy Quan sold large blocks in early March, and insiders have sold 892,925 shares (~$70.25M) over the past 90 days, trimming insider ownership to ~0.90%.

Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,020,843 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 37,105 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in CocaCola were worth $71,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CocaCola Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $75.23 on Thursday. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $82.00. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $76.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.79. The company has a market cap of $323.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.75, a PEG ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.35.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from CocaCola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola's payout ratio is 69.74%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CocaCola news, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total value of $5,833,593.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola is expanding its Fairlife milk production and bottler investments, broadening higher‑margin, value‑added dairy and new beverage categories that can diversify revenue and support margins. Coca-Cola Expands Fairlife And Bottler Investments To Broaden Earnings Mix
• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett (via Berkshire) still hasn't sold a single KO share in 30+ years; the story highlights long‑term shareholder confidence and sizable dividend income Berkshire receives — a vote of confidence for income investors. Why Warren Buffett’s Coca-Cola (KO) Investment Remains Untouched After Three Decades
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market pieces highlight KO’s dividend strength — 64 consecutive years of increases — reinforcing demand from income‑focused investors and supporting valuation stability. Why Coca-Cola (KO) Is Warren Buffett’s Best Dividend Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with Keurig (KDP) note KO’s global scale and pricing power versus KDP’s innovation; useful context for relative valuation and sector allocation decisions but not an immediate catalyst. Coca-Cola vs. Keurig: Which Beverage Stock Looks Poised for Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Another analyst write‑up reiterates KO vs KDP tradeoffs (scale vs. innovation), helpful for longer‑term positioning rather than day‑to‑day moves. Coca-Cola vs. Keurig: Which Beverage Stock Looks Poised for Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Local marketing/PR: Coca‑Cola Southwest revealed winners of a mural competition — brand/PR positive but unlikely to move fundamentals. Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and Texas Monthly Studio Reveal Winners of Star-Spangled Texas Mural Competition
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~23.7% to ~53.7M shares as of March 13, raising the short‑interest ratio to ~3.1 days (about 1.3% of shares shorted) — increased bearish bets can add downward pressure or volatility if sentiment reverses.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn of 2026 margin pressure as pricing normalizes, costs remain volatile, and volume recovery in India, China and Mexico will be critical — a risk to near‑term earnings and multiples. Coca‑Cola Faces Margin Pressure: Can Pricing Power Hold?

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group increased their price objective on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup lifted their target price on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, CocaCola currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $84.60.

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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