PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Decreases Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• PNC Financial Services Group trimmed its Coca-Cola stake by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, selling 49,526 shares and ending with 6.14 million shares valued at about $429.3 million.
• Coca-Cola posted solid quarterly results, beating estimates with $0.86 EPS on $12.47 billion in revenue, while revenue rose 11.4% year over year and the company maintained strong profitability.
• Analysts remain upbeat on KO, with several firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a consensus “Buy” rating, supported by expectations of continued earnings strength and a possible volume boost from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. cut its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,140,607 shares of the company's stock after selling 49,526 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. owned about 0.14% of CocaCola worth $429,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised 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 purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in CocaCola by 15.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company's stock worth $2,592,732,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,198 shares in the last quarter. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the third quarter valued at $226,443,000. PFA Pension Forsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at $179,167,000. Finally, Danica Pension Livsforsikringsaktieselskab purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter valued at $161,130,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup and Wells Fargo both raised their price targets on Coca-Cola and kept bullish ratings, signaling continued confidence in the company’s earnings visibility, pricing power, and defensive appeal. CocaCola NYSE: KO Price Target Raised to $90.00 at Wells Fargo & Company
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlighted Coca-Cola’s strong Q1 performance, including double-digit organic growth and margin expansion, reinforcing the view that the company can keep delivering steady results even in a tougher market. Coca-Cola: Quality Still Deserves A Premium Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo remained positive on KO, and Citi said the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup could lift beverage volumes, adding a possible catalyst for summer demand. Citi Raises Coca-Cola Price Target to $91: World Cup Could Pour Volumes Higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola launched Fresca Hard, expanding into flavored malt beverages and broadening its ready-to-drink portfolio; the move could support long-term growth, but its near-term financial impact is still unclear. Coca-Cola’s Fresca Hard Launch And What It Could Mean For KO Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Nancy Quan sold shares, but the filing says the transaction was to cover tax withholding tied to equity award vesting, which makes it less concerning than a discretionary insider sale. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary noted that Coca-Cola’s international growth brings volatility risks from FX, conflict, and commodity inflation, which could pressure margins if those headwinds intensify. Coca-Cola's International Growth: Key Driver or Volatility Risk?

CocaCola Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $81.90 on Wednesday. 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 capitalization of $352.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.35. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $82.66. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $77.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $74.43.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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, equities research analysts forecast 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 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the company'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 transaction of $2,559,411.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,074,096.90. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total transaction of $7,996,723.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 410,550 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,016,431. The trade was a 19.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 786,726 shares of company stock valued at $62,547,977. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on KO shares. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of CocaCola from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $86.53.

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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