Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Makes New $260.92 Million Investment in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Eurizon Capital SGR opened a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter, buying 3.73 million shares worth about $260.9 million. The stake represented about 0.8% of its holdings and made KO its 18th-largest position.
• Insiders have been selling shares, including EVP Monica Howard Douglas and Chairman James Quincey, with total insider sales reaching 630,963 shares worth about $50.0 million over the last 90 days.
• Coca-Cola posted better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $0.86 on revenue of $12.47 billion, and it also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share payable July 1, yielding 2.7% annually.

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 3,731,297 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $260,916,000. CocaCola comprises about 0.8% of Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A.'s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. owned 0.09% of CocaCola at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in CocaCola by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company's stock worth $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in CocaCola by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 165,858,003 shares of the company's stock worth $11,083,296,000 after buying an additional 923,278 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in CocaCola by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company's stock worth $6,273,037,000 after buying an additional 433,547 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in CocaCola by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company's stock worth $2,592,732,000 after buying an additional 5,135,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in CocaCola by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,051,787 shares of the company's stock worth $1,860,395,000 after buying an additional 770,235 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $1,847,595.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. The trade was a 57.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 200,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.90, for a total transaction of $15,780,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 78,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,166,429.50. The trade was a 71.90% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 630,963 shares of company stock worth $50,016,979 in the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $78.96 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $339.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.83, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.35. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $77.75 and a 200 day moving average of $75.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $82.66.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The firm's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on KO shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CocaCola from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $86.80.

CocaCola 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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