Rathbones Group PLC Raises Stock Position in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Rathbones Group PLC increased its Coca-Cola stake by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, adding 173,436 shares and bringing its total holding to 5,925,755 shares worth about $414.3 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with 70.26% of Coca-Cola shares held by hedge funds and other institutions; several major holders such as Vanguard and State Street also added to positions.
• Analysts remain bullish after Coca-Cola’s strong Q1 results, which beat earnings and revenue expectations, while the company also raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 per share and maintained a Buy consensus rating.

Rathbones Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 5,925,755 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 173,436 shares during the quarter. CocaCola makes up approximately 1.6% of Rathbones Group PLC's holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Rathbones Group PLC owned about 0.14% of CocaCola worth $414,270,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased 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 valued at $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased 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 buying an additional 923,278 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased 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 buying an additional 5,135,198 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in CocaCola by 2.8% during the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,051,787 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,860,395,000 after buying an additional 770,235 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in CocaCola by 5.5% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 26,721,843 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,772,193,000 after buying an additional 1,393,760 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.53.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup and Wells Fargo both reiterated bullish views on Coca-Cola and lifted price targets, reinforcing confidence in KO’s earnings stability, pricing power, and defensive profile. CocaCola NYSE: KO Price Target Raised to $90.00 at Wells Fargo & Company
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts continue to point to Coca-Cola’s strong Q1 results, including earnings and revenue beats, which support the case for steady growth and premium valuation. Coca-Cola: Quality Still Deserves A Premium Valuation
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary around the company’s recent stock trend and dividend appeal highlights KO as a favored defensive income name, helping keep investor interest elevated. Coca-Cola (KO) and Realty Income Lead 2026 Dividend Stock Watch List
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola launched Fresca Hard, expanding into flavored alcoholic beverages; this could broaden the portfolio, but the near-term financial impact is still uncertain. How Coca-Cola’s New Fresca Hard Alcohol Line Will Impact Coca-Cola (KO) Investors
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Nancy Quan sold shares, but the filing says the sale was for tax withholding tied to equity award vesting, which is usually less concerning than a discretionary insider sale. SEC Form 4 filing
• Negative Sentiment: Some market commentary warns that Coca-Cola’s international growth can bring foreign exchange, conflict, and commodity cost risks that could pressure margins if conditions worsen. Coca-Cola's International Growth: Key Driver or Volatility Risk?

CocaCola Stock Down 0.4%

KO opened at $81.62 on Thursday. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $82.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36. The company has a fifty day moving average of $77.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $351.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.67, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The company had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.73 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $1,847,595.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,371,383.25. The trade was a 57.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total transaction of $5,833,593.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares of the company's stock, valued at $22,538,916.84. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 786,726 shares of company stock valued at $62,547,977. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

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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