Nicholas Company Inc. Buys 348,580 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Nicholas Company Inc. increased its Coca-Cola stake by 47.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 348,580 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,085,610 shares worth about $75.9 million.
• Several other institutional investors also added to or adjusted their positions, and institutions now own 70.26% of Coca-Cola’s stock, underscoring continued broad investor interest.
• Coca-Cola reported better-than-expected Q1 earnings of $0.86 per share on $12.47 billion in revenue, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus Buy rating and average price target of $86.27.

Nicholas Company Inc. boosted its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 47.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,085,610 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 348,580 shares during the quarter. CocaCola accounts for about 1.3% of Nicholas Company Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Nicholas Company Inc.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $75,895,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in CocaCola by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,200,276,000 after acquiring an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in CocaCola by 15.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,592,732,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,198 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in CocaCola during the third quarter worth about $226,443,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth about $179,167,000. Finally, Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab bought a new stake in CocaCola during the third quarter worth about $161,130,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of a number of research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CocaCola from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.27.

CocaCola Stock Down 0.0%

CocaCola stock opened at $78.40 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $337.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.35. CocaCola Company has a 1-year low of $65.35 and a 1-year high of $82.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.84. 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 (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 66.67%.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Coca-Cola to $3.26, signaling confidence that full-year earnings should meet expectations. CocaCola stock page
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and Erste Group Bank also lifted select future-year estimates, including FY2027 and Q3 2026 forecasts, suggesting analysts see continued earnings resilience. CocaCola stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate market commentary highlighted dividend stocks as attractive amid geopolitical uncertainty and recession worries, which may reinforce investor interest in defensive names like Coca-Cola. 2 Dividend Stocks That Are No-Brainer Buys in May
• Negative Sentiment: Not all revisions were higher: Zacks trimmed some quarterly and FY2028 estimates, indicating analysts still see some near-term earnings pressure in parts of the forecast period. CocaCola stock page

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total transaction of $5,833,593.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 555,101 shares of company stock valued at $44,208,566. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company 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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