Principle Wealth Partners LLC Purchases 22,944 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Principle Wealth Partners LLC boosted its Coca-Cola stake by 27% in the fourth quarter, adding 22,944 shares to reach 107,769 shares valued at about $7.53 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive, with several firms raising price targets and 15 analysts rating KO a Buy; the stock’s average target price is now $86.80.
• Coca-Cola posted solid quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, and also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, implying a 2.6% yield.

Principle Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 27.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 107,769 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 22,944 shares during the quarter. Principle Wealth Partners LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $7,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors now owns 3,819 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Apexium Financial LP grew its position in CocaCola by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 12,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $810,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in CocaCola by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. 1ST Source Bank lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 19,766 shares of the company's stock worth $1,382,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. Finally, Prosperity Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter. Prosperity Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,957 shares of the company's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KO. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" 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. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, CocaCola currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $86.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $1,847,595.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 17,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,371,383.25. This trade represents a 57.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 786,726 shares of company stock valued at $62,547,977. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America Securities initiated or reiterated a Buy on Coca-Cola, reinforcing confidence in the company’s earnings durability and long-term outlook. Coca-Cola (KO) Gets a Buy from Bank of America Securities
• Positive Sentiment: Articles emphasizing Coca-Cola as a dividend-growth blue chip and one of Warren Buffett’s favored holdings support the stock’s appeal as a stable, income-oriented investment. Warren Buffett earns a 20% dividend yield-on-cost with Coca-Cola stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry coverage notes that soft-drink companies are still navigating margin and tariff pressures, which could affect the sector but does not point to a Coca-Cola-specific problem. 5 Soft Drinks Stocks to Track Amid Margin & Tariff Pressures
• Neutral Sentiment: Several comparison and “best stock” articles kept Coca-Cola in the spotlight, including bullish long-term income lists and a KO vs. Celsius debate, but these were mostly opinion-driven rather than new fundamentals. Coca-Cola vs. Celsius: Which Consumer Goods Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?
• Negative Sentiment: One recent article framed Coca-Cola as a potential short candidate because the shares have rallied sharply and now trade near highs, raising valuation concerns despite solid fundamentals. Coca-Cola or Philip Morris: Which Is the Better Short Bet Right Now?

CocaCola Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $81.56 on Friday. The business's 50-day moving average is $77.41 and its 200 day moving average is $74.65. CocaCola Company has a 1 year low of $65.35 and a 1 year high of $82.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $350.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.36 and a quick ratio of 1.15.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $12.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company 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. On average, research 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 issued 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 dividend yield of 2.6%. 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.