Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. Buys 20,222 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Greatmark Investment Partners increased its Coca‑Cola stake by 11.1% in Q4, buying 20,222 shares to hold 201,587 shares worth about $14.09 million, representing ~1.7% of its portfolio and its 20th largest holding.
• Insiders sold heavily: CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares (avg. $79.14) and insiders disposed of 892,925 shares valued at $70.25 million in the last quarter, leaving insiders with roughly 0.90% ownership.
• Dividend increase: Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (from $0.51), an annualized $2.12 payout and a yield of about 2.8%.

Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. increased its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 201,587 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,222 shares during the quarter. CocaCola comprises about 1.7% of Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $14,093,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter worth $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the third quarter worth $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CocaCola during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in CocaCola during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.14, for a total value of $19,839,448.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 278,155 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,013,186.70. This represents a 47.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $1,847,595.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. This represents a 57.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on KO shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.

CocaCola Price Performance

KO stock opened at $75.77 on Friday. CocaCola Company has a 52 week low of $65.35 and a 52 week high of $82.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $326.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.36. 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.93.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

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

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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