LS Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO – Free Report) by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,237 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,806 shares during the period. LS Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $1,970,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in CocaCola by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,734,417,000 after buying an additional 1,992,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in CocaCola by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,273,037,000 after buying an additional 433,547 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in CocaCola in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,865,807,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 9.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 44,018,963 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,347,642,000 after acquiring an additional 3,836,640 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities research analysts have recently commented on KO shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Truist Financial set a $88.00 target price on CocaCola in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $86.00 price target (up from $82.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.76.
CocaCola Stock Up 0.3%
KO stock opened at $87.66 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $377.15 billion, a PE ratio of 26.32, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. CocaCola Company has a twelve month low of $65.35 and a twelve month high of $90.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $83.51 and its 200-day moving average is $79.81.
CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%.CocaCola’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.
CocaCola Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.
More CocaCola News
Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Raised outlook and margin gains: Coca-Cola’s improved full-year revenue and earnings guidance, expanding margins, broad-based volume growth and market-share gains reinforce confidence in its operating momentum. Coca-Cola’s Raised Guidance And Margin Gains Might Change the Case for Investing in Coca-Cola
- Positive Sentiment: Volume growth supports demand: Recent analysis points to steady global volume growth, suggesting consumers continue to purchase Coca-Cola products despite broader economic pressure. Coca-Cola in Focus as Volume Growth Anchors a Steady Picture
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst expectations remain supportive: Analysts have issued higher earnings forecasts and are preparing for third-quarter results, extending the positive reaction to the company’s latest earnings beat. Coca-Cola reported $0.97 in quarterly EPS versus a $0.93 consensus estimate, with revenue up 6.2% year over year.
- Positive Sentiment: Defensive and income appeal: Commentary continues to highlight KO as a Dividend King and a long-term Warren Buffett-backed holding. That reputation may support demand from investors seeking reliable dividends and relatively defensive consumer-staples exposure. 5 Dividend Kings to Buy and Hold Forever in August
- Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and sustainability are under debate: Investors are weighing Coca-Cola’s stronger results against whether its recent momentum can persist through the second half of the year. With the stock trading at a premium earnings multiple, further gains may depend on continued execution. The Debates That Matter for KO Stock
- Neutral Sentiment: Macro risks remain: Coverage is monitoring inflation, gasoline prices and consumer spending because higher household costs could pressure demand or reduce purchasing power. Why Is Coca-Cola in Focus as Gasoline Prices Pressure Consumers?
- Neutral Sentiment: Bottler financing news: Coca-Cola İçecek authorized management to seek up to $1 billion in overseas debt for refinancing and growth. The development concerns the regional bottler rather than Coca-Cola directly, so its immediate effect on KO is likely limited. Coca-Cola İçecek Seeks Up to USD 1 Billion in Overseas Debt
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. The trade was a 35.26% 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. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 145,947 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $13,148,365.23. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,066,024.97. The trade was a 54.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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 1,433,535 shares of company stock valued at $121,922,698 over the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
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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