Kestra Advisory Services LLC Acquires 57,149 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Kestra Advisory Services increased its Coca-Cola stake by 9.6% in Q1, buying 57,149 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 652,315 shares valued at about $49.6 million.
• Coca-Cola’s latest quarter topped expectations, with EPS of $0.86 versus $0.81 expected and revenue of $12.47 billion versus $12.24 billion estimated, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on KO, with multiple firms raising or reaffirming buy ratings and the stock carrying an average Moderate Buy rating with a $86.81 target price, even as shares traded around $82.50.

Kestra Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 9.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 652,315 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 57,149 shares during the quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $49,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on KO. UBS Group boosted their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded CocaCola from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $88.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $86.81.

CocaCola Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $82.50 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $354.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.94, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.34. CocaCola Company has a 52 week low of $65.35 and a 52 week high of $85.68. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $80.70 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.12.

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

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th were issued 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 of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is 66.67%.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola announced a global strategic beverage partnership with Marriott International, making KO Marriott’s primary beverage provider across guestrooms, restaurants, lounges, and events. The phased worldwide rollout could expand Coca-Cola’s reach in the hospitality channel and support sales for its broader beverage portfolio. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Separate coverage highlighted the Marriott deal as potentially “game changing” for Coca-Cola, reinforcing investor optimism that the new distribution agreement could become a meaningful growth driver over time. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles focused on Coca-Cola’s long-term appeal and steady compounding profile, which supports the stock’s defensive reputation but does not point to an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Some commentary questioned whether KO has become expensive after its recent run, which could temper upside as investors weigh valuation against Coca-Cola’s stable fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the broader market moving higher, Coca-Cola was cited as closing lower in the latest session, suggesting some near-term profit-taking or cautious sentiment around the stock. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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 completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at $9,842,608.29. The trade was a 78.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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. Also, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 23,984 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.41, for a total transaction of $2,000,505.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 157,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,128,734. The trade was a 13.22% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 in the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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