Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Raises Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its Coca-Cola stake by 2.3% in the first quarter, adding 36,151 shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,594,231 shares worth about $121.2 million.
• Coca-Cola reported strong first-quarter results, with EPS of $0.86 beating estimates and revenue of $12.47 billion topping expectations; revenue also rose 11.4% year over year.
• Wall Street remains broadly upbeat on KO, with 15 Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $86.88, while the company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share for a 2.6% yield.

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 2.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,594,231 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,151 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $121,241,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,200,276,000 after purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in CocaCola by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company's stock worth $11,734,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in CocaCola by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company's stock worth $6,273,037,000 after purchasing an additional 433,547 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in CocaCola in the fourth quarter worth $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in CocaCola by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company's stock worth $2,816,697,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195,581 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Friday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $88.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Friday. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.88.

CocaCola Trading Up 2.7%

NYSE:KO opened at $82.63 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $79.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $76.28. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $65.35 and a 12 month high of $84.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock has a market cap of $355.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.35.

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

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 66.67%.

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total transaction of $2,559,411.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,074,096.90. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total transaction of $34,960,398.48. Following the sale, the chairman owned 122,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,842,608.29. This represents a 78.03% 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. Insiders sold 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 over the last quarter. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: 24/7 Wall St. issued a bullish view on KO, calling it a quality compounder with a price target of $90.07, implying about 12% upside and recommending the stock as a buy. Coca Cola Price Prediction: The Case for 12% Upside
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Coca-Cola as one of four defensive stocks to own as inflation rises, reinforcing KO’s appeal as a stable consumer staples name in a more uncertain macro environment. Buy 4 Defensive Stocks as Inflation Hits Highest Level in 3 Years
• Positive Sentiment: Growth rankings also looked supportive, with an article noting Monster Beverage and Coca-Cola leading S&P 500 consumer staples stocks by growth grades, which may help sentiment around KO’s fundamental profile. Monster Beverage, Coca-Cola lead S&P 500 consumer staples stocks by growth grades
• Neutral Sentiment: The company announced a leadership transition in its North America operating unit, with Jennifer Mann stepping down and CFO John Murphy taking over temporarily. This is operationally important, but the market impact is likely limited unless it signals broader strategic changes. The Coca-Cola Company Announces Leadership Transition for North America Operating Unit
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also watching the company’s long-running $20 billion IRS tax dispute, which has reached a promising stage in court but still represents a potential overhang on long-term cash flow and taxes. Coca-Cola's longstanding $20B tax case is off to a promising start in the courtroom
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analysis questioning whether the current share price is justified after a roughly 19% one-year decline could temper enthusiasm, even though the stock remains viewed by some as attractively valued. Coca-Cola (KO) Stock After 19% Year Loss Is The Current Price Justified?

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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