Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases 33,602 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Resona Asset Management increased its Coca-Cola stake by 2.4% in the first quarter, buying 33,602 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 1,424,782 shares valued at about $108.4 million.
• Coca-Cola reported strong first-quarter earnings, with EPS of $0.86 beating estimates and revenue of $12.47 billion topping expectations, while sales rose 11.4% from a year earlier.
• The company also maintained its shareholder return profile with a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, equal to an annualized yield of 2.5%, even as insider selling and a slight stock pullback were noted.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 2.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,424,782 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 33,602 shares during the period. CocaCola comprises approximately 0.5% of Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings, making the stock its 26th largest position. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $108,415,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,734,417,000 after buying an additional 1,992,327 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CocaCola by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company's stock worth $6,273,037,000 after buying an additional 433,547 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth about $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in CocaCola by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company's stock worth $2,816,697,000 after buying an additional 1,195,581 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CocaCola Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $83.47 on Thursday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $80.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $359.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a PEG ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.34. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $85.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.05. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.80% and a return on equity of 40.55%. The firm had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. Analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several articles highlight Coca-Cola as a defensive, market-weary investor favorite, with its steady business model and consistent earnings beats supporting the stock’s premium valuation. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators continue to point to Coca-Cola’s strong year-to-date performance and relative outperformance versus many consumer staples peers, reinforcing momentum in the stock. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Pepsi’s upcoming earnings are being framed as a comparison point for the beverage sector, but this is more of a read-through for competitor performance than a direct Coca-Cola catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage noting a pullback in KO shares says the stock’s defensive appeal remains in focus, suggesting recent weakness may be seen as a buying opportunity rather than a fundamental problem. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Walmart’s price cuts on Coca-Cola packs raise questions about pricing power and valuation, but the article notes the stock has still shown strong momentum recently, making this a watch item ahead of earnings. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A downgrade on Coca-Cola reflects some concern that the stock may have run too far, and another report says KO has underperformed competitors on a recent trading day, which may weigh on sentiment. Article Title

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 16th. 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, May 18th. UBS Group increased their price objective 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. Truist Financial set a $88.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other news, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total transaction of $34,960,398.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 122,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,842,608.29. The trade was a 78.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 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 stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at $13,128,734. This trade represents a 13.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 899,905 shares of company stock valued at $71,832,315. 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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