First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 11,420 Shares of Coca-Cola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• First Fiduciary Investment Counsel reduced its Coca-Cola stake by 6.4%, selling 11,420 shares in the third quarter and retaining 167,958 shares worth approximately $14.46 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.26% of KO.
• Coca-Cola reported a strong quarter, with adjusted EPS of $0.91 and revenue of $13.35 billion, exceeding analyst expectations; revenue rose 7.2% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Coca-Cola carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $97.26. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, representing a 2.3% annualized yield.

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 167,958 shares of the company's stock after selling 11,420 shares during the period. Coca-Cola accounts for approximately 2.8% of First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest position. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $14,458,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,958,636 shares of the company's stock worth $3,735,058,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939,673 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.4% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,354,414 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,954,523,000 after purchasing an additional 162,097 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 9.2% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,053,752 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,361,198,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439,026 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 18,822,295 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,431,495,000 after purchasing an additional 235,785 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fayez Sarofim & Co increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.7% in the second quarter. Fayez Sarofim & Co now owns 15,272,831 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,241,223,000 after purchasing an additional 113,599 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Argus lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings cut Coca-Cola from a "buy (a+)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $93.00 target price (up from $83.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $91.75 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $394.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.55, a PEG ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.32. The company's 50-day moving average is $89.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $81.84. Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $67.27 and a 1-year high of $95.37.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $13.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.92 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.82 EPS. Analysts forecast that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.30 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. This represents a 35.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total value of $861,367.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 62,105 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,372,082.50. The trade was a 13.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 323,806 shares of company stock valued at $28,820,577. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Key Coca-Cola News

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola exceeded expectations with third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.91 versus $0.88 expected and revenue of approximately $13.35 billion versus $12.92 billion expected. Revenue increased 7.2% year over year, while global unit-case volume rose 5%, led by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and international markets. Coca-Cola Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Volume Growth, Outlook Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 comparable EPS-growth outlook to at least 11%, up from the prior 9%-10% forecast, marking the third consecutive outlook increase. Margin strength, pricing, favorable currency trends and resilient demand for zero-sugar and premium beverages supported the improved outlook. KO Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts became more constructive: Citigroup raised its target to $103 with a Buy rating, TD Cowen raised its target to $104 with a Buy rating, and JPMorgan lifted its target to $98 with an Overweight rating. Coca-Cola Analyst Forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s 64-year dividend-growth record and roughly 2.3% yield continue to appeal to income-focused investors, but the valuation leaves less room for error after a substantial share-price rally.
• Negative Sentiment: North American volume was flat, with weakness in water, sports drinks, coffee and tea. Analysts also cited potential consumer pressure into 2027, pending IRS litigation and future revenue effects from divestitures. Freedom Broker therefore raised its target only to $89 and retained a Hold rating. Coca-Cola Earnings Beat and Outlook

Coca-Cola 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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