CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 2.2% – Still a Buy?

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) shares rose 2.2% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $76.66 and last traded at $76.3070. Approximately 12,033,325 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 30% from the average daily volume of 17,301,158 shares. The stock had previously closed at $74.63.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and previews expect resilience in Q1 results, focusing on margins, pricing and channel mix rather than just revenue and EPS — this framing can support multiple re‑rating catalysts if metrics beat. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Broker preview (UBS) expects steady Q1 EPS (~$0.81) and highlights the company’s ability to grow through a mixed macro backdrop — supporting the narrative of earnings durability. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Features on KO as a reliable dividend payer and long‑term income generator continue to attract yield‑focused investors; media pieces quantify the steady dividend income for long‑term holders. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Major outlets and roundup lists are still including KO among dependable dividend/blue‑chip holdings, reinforcing buy‑and‑hold demand. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage comparing Coca‑Cola to peers (PepsiCo, Monster) highlights KO’s diversified global portfolio versus niche energy peers — useful for relative valuation but not an immediate catalyst. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Local marketing activations (Canada House by Coca‑Cola) support brand engagement and seasonal revenue upside but are tactical rather than material to near‑term earnings. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: An article about Apple leadership changes was tagged to KO in your feed but is unrelated to Coca‑Cola fundamentals; no impact on KO. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent shorter‑term coverage noted a pullback in KO shares a few sessions ago — reminders of volatility and profit‑taking can pressure momentum ahead of official Q1 results. Article Title

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KO has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price target on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, CocaCola currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.00.

CocaCola Stock Up 2.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.11. The company has a market capitalization of $328.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.74%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $1,872,702.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KO. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 867.2% in the 4th quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,008,954,000 after acquiring an additional 12,939,959 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1,206.9% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,913,000 after acquiring an additional 9,826,768 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 29.2% in the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,182,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,809,146,000 after acquiring an additional 9,078,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 98.7% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $879,015,000 after acquiring an additional 6,246,627 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.