Groupe la Francaise Boosts Stock Position in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Groupe La Française increased its Coca-Cola position by 17.5% in the second quarter, adding 157,321 shares to own 1.06 million shares valued at approximately $85.3 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 70.26% of KO.
• Coca-Cola reported solid quarterly results, with revenue rising 6.2% year over year to $13.37 billion and EPS of $0.97, exceeding estimates. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $95.76, while the company continues its $0.53 quarterly dividend.
• Despite strong operating momentum and a 64-year dividend-growth streak, valuation and insider selling are notable concerns. KO trades at roughly 26 times earnings, while insiders sold about $85.1 million of stock over the past three months.

Groupe la Francaise raised its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 17.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,057,942 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 157,321 shares during the period. CocaCola comprises approximately 1.0% of Groupe la Francaise's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Groupe la Francaise's holdings in CocaCola were worth $85,338,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in CocaCola by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 4,591 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,795 shares of the company's stock worth $548,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 450.5% in the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 39,583 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,800,000 after purchasing an additional 32,392 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 548.2% in the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,063 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 899 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola remains attractive to income-focused investors after extending its dividend-growth streak to 64 consecutive years. Its global brands and pricing power are viewed as defenses against inflation and a weaker dollar. Safety Stocks Are Not What They Used to Be: 4 Names Built for a Weaker Dollar
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating momentum remains supportive: second-quarter net revenue increased about 7% to $13.38 billion, organic revenue rose 6%, global unit case volume grew 5%, and comparable operating margin expanded to 35.6%. Management also raised full-year guidance in July. Safety Stocks Are Not What They Used to Be: 4 Names Built for a Weaker Dollar
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts continue to treat KO as a highly defensive consumer-staples holding, with its stable demand and dividend history compared favorably with PepsiCo. However, the stock’s roughly 26% year-to-date gain has made valuation a more important part of the investment case. PepsiCo vs. Coca-Cola: Which Stock Has the Edge?
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation concerns are becoming more prominent near the stock’s highs. Commentary has cited a forward P/E around 25.7 times, a modest dividend yield, and limited upside relative to several analyst price targets. Investors are also watching potential volume pressure from nutrition-program restrictions. Coca-Cola Stock Opinions on Recent Highs and Valuation Concerns
• Negative Sentiment: Quiver Quantitative data shows 24 insider sales and no insider purchases over the past six months. While such transactions may reflect compensation or diversification, the imbalance can reinforce profit-taking concerns after the strong rally. Coca-Cola Stock Opinions on Recent Highs and Valuation Concerns

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total transaction of $10,126,419.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at $3,761,319.45. This trade represents a 72.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 145,947 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total value of $13,148,365.23. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,066,024.97. The trade was a 54.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 950,604 shares of company stock worth $85,076,219 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on KO. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on CocaCola from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded CocaCola from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $86.00 target price (up from $82.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on CocaCola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $88.00 price target on CocaCola in a research report on Friday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $95.76.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $88.05 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $378.84 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.34. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $92.49. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The firm had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola'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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola's payout ratio is 63.66%.

About CocaCola

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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