Panagora Asset Management Inc. Boosts Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Panagora Asset Management increased its Coca-Cola stake by 62.6% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 600,962 shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,560,733 shares worth about $109.1 million.
• Institutional ownership in Coca-Cola remains very high, with major firms like Vanguard, State Street, Geode Capital Management, and Norges Bank also adding or establishing positions; hedge funds and other institutions own about 70.26% of the stock.
• Wall Street remains broadly positive on KO: analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy, and the company recently posted strong Q1 results with an earnings and revenue beat, while also maintaining its quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Panagora Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 62.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,560,733 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 600,962 shares during the quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $109,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in CocaCola by 1.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in CocaCola by 0.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in CocaCola by 3.1% during 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 in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Citigroup boosted their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on CocaCola in a research report on Thursday. They set a "market perform" rating and a $84.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $86.69.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital reiterated its buy view on Coca-Cola, reinforcing Wall Street’s generally favorable stance on KO and supporting the stock’s recent strength.
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Coca-Cola as a potential beneficiary of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with expectations that beverage volume and consumer spending could rise during the tournament.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary also pointed to strong Q1 results, including an earnings and revenue beat, solid organic growth, and volume gains, which continue to underpin the bullish investment case. Coca-Cola’s Q1 Results Prove It's a Good Buy to Hold and Hold
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest remains supported by Coca-Cola’s reliable dividend and defensive profile, which continue to attract income-focused buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Jennifer K. Mann disclosed a stock sale, but it was conducted under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan and tied to equity-award tax withholding, making it less of a concern than discretionary insider selling.

Insider Activity

In other news, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total value of $34,960,398.48. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at $9,842,608.29. This represents a 78.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $83.41, for a total value of $2,000,505.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 157,400 shares in the company, valued at $13,128,734. This represents a 13.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

CocaCola Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $82.63 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $84.04. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $78.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $75.70. The company has a market capitalization of $355.51 billion, a P/E 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 issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 40.55% and a net margin of 27.80%.The business had revenue of $12.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 earnings per share. The business'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. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

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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