Rathbones Group PLC Acquires 173,436 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC increased its Coca‑Cola stake by 3.0% in Q4, buying 173,436 shares to hold 5,925,755 shares (about 1.3% of Rathbones' portfolio and ~0.14% of KO, valued at ~$414.3M).
• Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12), implying a 2.8% yield and a payout ratio of roughly 69.7%.
• Insiders were net sellers: 892,925 shares (~$70.25M) were sold in the last quarter, including recent sales by Bruno Pietracci and CFO John Murphy.

Rathbones Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,925,755 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 173,436 shares during the period. CocaCola accounts for 1.3% of Rathbones Group PLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Rathbones Group PLC owned approximately 0.14% of CocaCola worth $414,270,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in CocaCola by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 368,885,160 shares of the company's stock worth $24,464,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443,189 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 165,858,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,083,296,000 after purchasing an additional 923,278 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 15.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,592,732,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,198 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its position in CocaCola by 2.8% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,051,787 shares of the company's stock worth $1,860,395,000 after purchasing an additional 770,235 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 5.5% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 26,721,843 shares of the company's stock worth $1,772,193,000 after purchasing an additional 1,393,760 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Defensive‑sector tailwind: analysis highlights consumer staples like KO outperforming as recession odds rise, supporting demand for KO’s steady dividends and low beta. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform (KO)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend credibility: Coca‑Cola is featured among "safest dividend aristocrats," reinforcing appeal to income investors who value the company’s long dividend growth record. The 5 Safest Dividend Aristocrats Are Perfect For Retirees Needing Growth & Income
• Positive Sentiment: Brand/marketing initiative: Coke Florida rolled out limited‑edition America250 cans — a consumer/PR boost that can help share gains in local markets and supports brand engagement. Coca‑Cola Beverages Florida Unveils America250 Commemorative Cans
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage attention: pieces from Zacks and Yahoo revisit KO’s valuation and status as a trending stock — they raise investor awareness but offer mixed signals on near‑term upside. Is Trending Stock CocaCola Company (The) (KO) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market‑wide commentary: a Motley Fool piece on buying blue‑chip weakness notes broad market softness; such macro pressure can create buying opportunities but doesn’t single out KO materially. Two Blue Chip Stocks I'd Buy Into This Week's Weakne
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend sustainability concern: coverage questions whether the recent $0.53 quarterly dividend increase is fully supported by earnings and cash flow, raising the risk that higher payout expectations pressure valuation if growth slows. Investors focused on payout ratios and free cash flow should dig into the company’s guidance and capital allocation plans. Is Coca‑Cola Paying More in Dividends Than It Can Afford?

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CocaCola Stock Performance

CocaCola stock opened at $76.68 on Monday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $77.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. CocaCola Company has a 1-year low of $65.35 and a 1-year high of $82.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $330.03 billion, a PE ratio of 25.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from CocaCola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola's payout ratio is 69.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. UBS Group increased their target price on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $84.80.

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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