MUFG Securities EMEA plc Boosts Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its Coca-Cola stake by 114.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 158,712 shares worth about $11.1 million.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted positions, and overall hedge funds and institutions own 70.26% of Coca-Cola’s stock.
• Coca-Cola reported better-than-expected quarterly results with EPS of $0.86 vs. $0.81 expected and revenue of $12.47 billion, while analysts remain broadly positive with a Buy consensus and an average price target of $86.80.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 114.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 158,712 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 84,574 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in CocaCola were worth $11,096,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CocaCola by 438.8% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total value of $2,559,411.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,074,096.90. This trade represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 558,514 shares of company stock valued at $44,183,386 over the last ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on KO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.80.

CocaCola Price Performance

KO stock opened at $78.96 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $77.75 and a 200-day moving average of $75.09. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $65.35 and a 12 month high of $82.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $339.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. CocaCola's revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

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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