Vest Financial LLC Decreases Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC cut its stake in The Coca‑Cola Company by 9.0% in Q4, selling 80,082 shares and now owning 806,941 shares worth about $56.41 million.
• Coca‑Cola beat Q1 estimates with EPS of $0.86 (vs. $0.81) and revenue of $12.47B, set FY2026 guidance at 3.240–3.270 EPS, and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (annualized $2.12; yield ~2.8%).
• CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares and insiders have sold 892,925 shares (~$70.25M) in the last 90 days, even as analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating with an average price target of $85.

Vest Financial LLC lowered its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 9.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 806,941 shares of the company's stock after selling 80,082 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $56,413,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company's stock worth $26,200,276,000 after purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 165,858,003 shares of the company's stock worth $11,083,296,000 after acquiring an additional 923,278 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 15.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company's stock worth $2,592,732,000 after acquiring an additional 5,135,198 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 2.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,051,787 shares of the company's stock worth $1,860,395,000 after acquiring an additional 770,235 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,393,760 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $75.43 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.37. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $82.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $324.67 billion, a PE ratio of 24.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.36.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.28 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. Analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from CocaCola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $85.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.14, for a total value of $19,839,448.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 278,155 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,013,186.70. The trade was a 47.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $17,754,735. This represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Peer strength supports pricing durability — Keurig Dr Pepper’s stronger-than-expected results suggest beverage pricing can hold, a potential positive read-through for Coca‑Cola if KO shows similar resiliency. Can Coca-Cola Retain Pricing Power and Regain Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile support — Jim Cramer reiterated confidence in Coca‑Cola’s ability to keep delivering, which can reinforce investor conviction in the company’s brand and cash returns. Jim Cramer on Coca-Cola: “I’m Sure That the Company’s Going to Keep Delivering”
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive dividend/brand narrative — coverage highlights KO’s reliable dividend and defensive positioning, which supports demand from income and risk‑off investors even when growth is muted. How The Coca-Cola (KO) Investment Narrative Is Shifting With New Targets And Dividend Support
• Neutral Sentiment: Q1 preview consensus is mixed — multiple previews expect pricing to help results but flag revenue/volume uncertainty; investors will focus on pricing vs. volume trends and management commentary. Coca-Cola is about to report earnings. Here's what to expect
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst previews highlight tough comps and stretched valuation — previews from Seeking Alpha, Zacks, TipRanks and Invezz note KO’s pricing power but caution on volumes and valuation, leaving guidance and margins as the key catalysts. Coca-Cola Q1 earnings on deck: What to expect
• Negative Sentiment: Evidence of consumer fatigue — coverage (Barron’s) flags that consumers are tiring of price hikes and shifting to zero‑sugar options, which could pressure volumes and slow top‑line recovery if the trend shows up in Q1. Coca-Cola Is Banking on Consumer Appetite for Soda. Earnings Will Offer Insight.
• Negative Sentiment: Limited recent upside — the stock’s modest ~6% 1‑year gain and a stretched P/E/PEG profile raise sensitivity to any weak print or cautious guidance, increasing downside risk on a disappointing quarter. Coca-Cola is about to report earnings. Here's what to expect

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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