Zacks Research Has Bullish Forecast for CocaCola Q3 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q3 2026 EPS estimate for Coca-Cola to $0.88 from $0.87, and kept a generally bullish longer-term outlook with FY2026 EPS at $3.26.
• Coca-Cola’s most recent quarterly results were solid, with $0.86 EPS and $12.47 billion in revenue, both ahead of Wall Street estimates; revenue rose 11.4% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable overall, with 15 Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $86.27, while the company also continues to offer a 2.7% dividend yield.

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of CocaCola in a report issued on Friday, May 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the company will earn $0.88 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.87. The consensus estimate for CocaCola's current full-year earnings is $3.26 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for CocaCola's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.60 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.26 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.98 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.94 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $3.71 EPS.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.05. CocaCola had a return on equity of 40.55% and a net margin of 27.80%.The business 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 business earned $0.73 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price target on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price target on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price target on CocaCola from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.27.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $78.40 on Monday. CocaCola has a twelve month low of $65.35 and a twelve month high of $82.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $337.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $77.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.84.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total transaction of $2,284,228.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,754,735. The trade was a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 555,101 shares of company stock worth $44,208,566 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. grew 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 in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company's stock worth $11,734,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992,327 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company's stock worth $6,273,037,000 after purchasing an additional 433,547 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of CocaCola in the fourth quarter worth $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company's stock worth $2,816,697,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195,581 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Coca-Cola to $3.26, signaling confidence that full-year earnings should meet expectations. CocaCola stock page
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and Erste Group Bank also lifted select future-year estimates, including FY2027 and Q3 2026 forecasts, suggesting analysts see continued earnings resilience. CocaCola stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: A separate market commentary highlighted dividend stocks as attractive amid geopolitical uncertainty and recession worries, which may reinforce investor interest in defensive names like Coca-Cola. 2 Dividend Stocks That Are No-Brainer Buys in May
• Negative Sentiment: Not all revisions were higher: Zacks trimmed some quarterly and FY2028 estimates, indicating analysts still see some near-term earnings pressure in parts of the forecast period. CocaCola stock page

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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