Rice Partnership LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Rice Partnership LLC cut its Coca-Cola stake by 20.3% in the fourth quarter, selling 21,949 shares and leaving it with 86,294 shares valued at about $6.03 million.
• Wall Street remains bullish on KO, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock holding a consensus Buy rating and $86.80 average target.
• Coca-Cola delivered strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.86 versus $0.81 expected and revenue of $12.47 billion, while also declaring a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share.

Rice Partnership LLC lowered its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 20.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,294 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,949 shares during the period. Rice Partnership LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $6,033,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its position in CocaCola by 438.8% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Elevated Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KO. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.80.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple articles highlight Coca-Cola as a dependable dividend and income stock, reinforcing its appeal in a volatile market. Is Coca-Cola (KO) the Safest Dividend Stock To Buy?
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentators remain optimistic after strong quarterly results, with mentions of solid revenue growth and record margins supporting the stock’s valuation. Is Coca-Cola (KO) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary continues to frame KO as a growth-and-income name, helped by resilient beverage demand and its ability to raise prices without losing momentum. Coca-Cola (KO) Combines Growth and Income in a Challenging Consumer Environment
• Positive Sentiment: Talk of a potential new all-time high suggests investor confidence remains strong and that KO is trading near the top of its recent range. Coca Cola Stock Will Hit a New All-Time High On This Date
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola is reportedly exploring an IPO for its India bottling business, a restructuring move that could surface value over time but also adds uncertainty around the timing and execution. Coca-Cola explores IPO in India for its bottling business
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional coverage reiterated Coca-Cola’s appeal as a dividend and consumer-staples holding, but did not introduce a major new catalyst. My Top 3 Consumer Staples Dividend Stocks to Buy Now

CocaCola Price Performance

KO opened at $78.44 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. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $82.66. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $75.14. The company has a market cap of $337.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. CocaCola'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, analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The company 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 $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is 66.67%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total value of $2,559,411.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 255,505 shares of company stock worth $20,187,007. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Company 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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