HighTower Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors reduced its Coca-Cola stake by 2.3% in the second quarter, selling 67,006 shares and retaining 2.90 million shares valued at approximately $235.4 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.26% of KO.
• Coca-Cola reported strong quarterly results, with adjusted EPS of $0.97 beating estimates of $0.93 and revenue of $13.37 billion rising 6.2% year over year. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.27–$3.30.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, implying a 2.4% yield, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and average price target of $95.76; however, recent insider selling and elevated valuation remain potential concerns.

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 2.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,896,306 shares of the company's stock after selling 67,006 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 0.07% of CocaCola worth $235,383,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in CocaCola by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Lantern Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,316 shares of the company's stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Gill Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 4.1% during the second quarter. Gill Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,992 shares of the company's stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.4% in the second quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,726 shares of the company's stock worth $709,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 0.9% in the second quarter. Everpar Advisors LLC now owns 14,504 shares of the company's stock worth $1,179,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 0.3% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 40,879 shares of the company's stock worth $3,109,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

CocaCola Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of KO stock opened at $88.05 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $378.84 billion, a PE ratio of 26.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.34. CocaCola Company has a 1 year low of $65.35 and a 1 year high of $92.49. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $86.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $81.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The company had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.87 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Research analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Argus raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings raised CocaCola from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (a-)" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, HSBC downgraded CocaCola from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $95.76.

Key CocaCola News

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 Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In related news, EVP Jennifer Mann sold 23,984 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.41, for a total value of $2,000,505.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 157,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,128,734. This represents a 13.22% 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 transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 381,140 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.04, for a total transaction of $34,317,845.60. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,059,883.32. This represents a 75.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 950,604 shares of company stock worth $85,076,219. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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