KBC Group NV Sells 59,133 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• KBC Group NV trimmed its Coca‑Cola stake by 5.3%, selling 59,133 shares and retaining 1,057,088 shares valued at about $73.9 million at quarter end.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish with a consensus Buy rating and an $85 target, and several firms (Barclays, Evercore, Citi, UBS) have recently raised price targets, though some notes flag weakening North America demand.
• Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12, ~2.8% yield), while insiders have sold roughly 892,925 shares (about $70.3 million) in the past three months.

KBC Group NV decreased its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,057,088 shares of the company's stock after selling 59,133 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in CocaCola were worth $73,901,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CocaCola during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $85.00.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on KO to $90 (from $87) and kept a Buy rating, citing improving trends across consumer staples—this provides analyst support for upside. UBS Turns Slightly More Positive on Coca-Cola (KO), Notes Improving Trends
• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola is highlighted as a high‑yield/dividend pick in several income-focused roundups, reinforcing demand from dividend investors seeking steady cash flow. 3 High Yield Dividend Paying Stocks Perfect For Passive Income
• Positive Sentiment: Articles noting Coca‑Cola’s status as a long‑term Berkshire holding and its multi‑decade dividend growth support the stock’s defensive, recession‑resistant narrative. Tariffs, Oil Shocks, Recessions -- These 2 Warren Buffett Stocks Don't Care
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend‑king coverage lists KO as a top buy for income investors, supporting demand from conservative portfolios and long‑term holders. These 2 Dividend Kings Are My Top Buys for April 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola appointed Tapaswee Chandele as global chief people officer effective May 1; leadership continuity and HR focus are unlikely to move the stock materially in the short term. The Coca-Cola Company Selects New Global Chief People Officer
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage explaining the personnel change and what it means for investors reiterates stable long‑term metrics (dividend history, multi‑year returns) but doesn’t change near‑term fundamentals. Coca-Cola’s New People Chief And What It Means For KO Investors
• Negative Sentiment: Seeking Alpha published a piece framing KO as a downgrade scenario ("Buy for the dividend, hold for upside (Downgrade)"), which can prompt short‑term selling from momentum/quant funds sensitive to rating language. Coca-Cola: Buy For The Dividend, Hold For The Upside (Downgrade)
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks notes weakening North America demand and asks whether global growth can offset regional softness—this operational headwind is the primary near‑term risk pressuring the stock. North America Demand Weakens: Can KO Offset it With Global Growth?

CocaCola Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE KO opened at $75.30 on Thursday. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $82.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market cap of $324.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.36. The stock's 50-day moving average is $77.63 and its 200-day moving average is $72.80.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a positive change 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%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total transaction of $2,284,228.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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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