Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Jumps 1.7% - Still a Buy?

Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report)'s share price was up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $99.30 and last traded at $99.0820. 17,899,615 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 5% from the average daily volume of 17,032,113 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.44.

Key Headlines Impacting Coca-Cola

Here are a few of the latest headlines about KO:

• Positive Sentiment: Shares reached a fresh all-time high near $100, reflecting continued investor demand and extending the stock’s recent run. KO Stock Alert: Coca-Cola Just Hit a New All-Time High
• Positive Sentiment: Call-option activity was unusually high, with traders acquiring about 60,740 contracts—roughly 18% above typical volume. This may signal increased bullish positioning, though options activity is not a guarantee of future performance.
• Negative Sentiment: With KO near a record high, coverage cautions that its premium valuation could make the stock less attractive to new buyers and leave less room for gains if growth disappoints. Coca-Cola Stock Hits 52-Week High: Should You Buy Now or Wait?

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on KO. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $96.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Monday, October 26th. Bank of America reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Friday. Argus increased their target price on Coca-Cola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Coca-Cola from a "buy (a+)" rating to a "buy (a)" rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $90.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.18. The company has a market capitalization of $426.24 billion, a PE ratio of 29.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.28.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.65% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The business had revenue of $13.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is 62.35%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 20,585 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.62, for a total value of $1,968,337.70. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,354,814.60. The trade was a 8.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Beatriz Perez sold 67,548 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.91, for a total value of $6,410,980.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 160,428 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $15,226,221.48. This trade represents a 29.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders sold 249,498 shares of company stock valued at $23,025,238. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Coign Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.9% during the third quarter. Coign Capital Advisors LLC now owns 7,190 shares of the company's stock worth $619,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 3,572,630 shares of the company's stock valued at $307,532,000 after acquiring an additional 255,704 shares during the period. Pinnbrook Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,881,000. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in Coca-Cola by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mosaic Family Wealth Partners LLC now owns 29,281 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 3,102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Alliance LLC boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 8,439 shares of the company's stock worth $726,000 after purchasing an additional 539 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company NYSE: KO is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands. The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

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