West Paces Advisors Inc. Grows Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Key Points

• West Paces Advisors increased its Coca-Cola stake by 20% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 131,783 shares valued at approximately $10.71 million. Institutional investors collectively own 70.26% of KO.
• Coca-Cola reported quarterly EPS of $0.97 and revenue of $13.37 billion, beating estimates, while revenue rose 6.2% year over year. Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus and have raised several price targets, with an average target of $95.76.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53, equivalent to a 2.4% annualized yield. However, KO’s valuation near 26 times earnings and recent insider selling present potential caution for investors.

West Paces Advisors Inc. grew its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 131,783 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 21,929 shares during the quarter. CocaCola comprises about 1.8% of West Paces Advisors Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. West Paces Advisors Inc.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $10,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 4,591 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in CocaCola by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in CocaCola in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Jump Financial LLC boosted its stake in CocaCola by 450.5% during the 2nd quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 39,583 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,800,000 after purchasing an additional 32,392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osterweis Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in CocaCola by 548.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,063 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,000 after purchasing an additional 899 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong results and outlook support the rally: Coca-Cola’s latest quarter exceeded consensus estimates, with $0.97 in EPS and $13.37 billion in revenue. Sales increased 6.2% year over year, and management’s 2026 EPS guidance remains above $3.27 at the midpoint. Investors are now focused on whether momentum can continue through the second half. The debates that matter for KO stock
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised longer-term estimates: Zacks Research increased its FY2026 EPS estimate to $3.29 from $3.26, FY2027 to $3.51 from $3.47, and FY2028 to $3.74 from $3.71. It also lifted several quarterly forecasts, signaling confidence in Coca-Cola’s earnings trajectory despite a modest reduction to its Q3 2026 estimate. Coca-Cola analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Income and defensive characteristics remain attractive: Coca-Cola’s long dividend-growth record, approximately 2.4% indicated yield, and status as a major Berkshire Hathaway holding continue to appeal to income-oriented investors. Coca-Cola dividend streak
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation is the key debate: KO trades at a premium multiple of roughly 26 times earnings. Strong growth and margin expansion may justify part of that premium, but the elevated valuation leaves less room for execution disappointments or slowing consumer demand. Coca-Cola valuation analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling could weigh on sentiment: Insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares worth approximately $861,000, reducing his direct holdings by 13.8%. The transaction is not necessarily a fundamental warning, but it adds a cautionary signal after the stock’s strong advance. Coca-Cola insider stock sale

CocaCola Trading Up 0.3%

CocaCola stock opened at $86.78 on Thursday. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $90.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $373.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.33. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $83.14 and a 200 day moving average of $79.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of CocaCola from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $93.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $100.00 price objective (up from $89.00) on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $95.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 75,727 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.65, for a total value of $6,788,925.55. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 35,393 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,172,982.45. This trade represents a 68.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total value of $34,960,398.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 122,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,842,608.29. This represents a 78.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 1,465,160 shares of company stock valued at $124,482,109 in the last quarter. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by 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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This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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