Pacer Advisors Inc. Sells 115,726 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Pacer Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 30.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 260,777 shares of the company’s stock after selling 115,726 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $19,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Norges Bank bought a new stake in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 867.2% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,008,954,000 after purchasing an additional 12,939,959 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1,206.9% in the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company’s stock worth $743,913,000 after buying an additional 9,826,768 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 29.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,182,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,809,146,000 after buying an additional 9,078,447 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 98.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $879,015,000 after buying an additional 6,246,627 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other CocaCola news, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chairman owned 122,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,842,608.29. This represents a 78.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total value of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,439,553.27. This represents a 35.26% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,655,202 shares of company stock valued at $139,400,742. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on CocaCola from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial set a $88.00 price objective on CocaCola in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on CocaCola from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.76.

CocaCola Price Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $86.84 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $90.92. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $82.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $78.88. The stock has a market cap of $373.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.08, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.33.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted 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 company had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola is being highlighted as a defensive consumer-staples investment as weakening consumer confidence and market volatility increase demand for stable, dividend-paying companies. 4 Consumer Staples Stocks to Play Safe Amid Sinking Consumer Confidence
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage points to Coca-Cola’s strong second-quarter results and long record of dividend growth as reasons investors may rotate toward KO and other defensive names away from technology and artificial-intelligence trades. 2 Consumer Staples Stocks Giving Investors a Break From the AI Trade
• Positive Sentiment: The company’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with earnings of $0.97 per share versus a $0.93 consensus and revenue of $13.37 billion versus $13.17 billion. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, reinforcing the company’s earnings momentum. Coca-Cola’s dividend also remains strategically important to Berkshire Hathaway, which is expected to receive roughly $848 million in dividends this year. Prediction: Greg Abel Will Continue Holding This Berkshire Hathaway Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares, reducing his holdings by about 35%, but the filing said the transaction covered tax-withholding obligations tied to vested equity awards. This makes the sale less concerning than a discretionary disposal, although it can still affect short-term sentiment. SEC Form 4 Filing
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts are focusing on Coca-Cola absorbing near-term margin pressure as it expands in China, creating a potential offset to otherwise steady beverage demand and solid sales growth. Coca-Cola Absorbs Margin Hit for Expansion in Key Market
• Negative Sentiment: Separate reports of Coca-Cola’s chairman selling sizable blocks of stock add to insider-selling concerns, even as the broader earnings and dividend outlook remains favorable. Coca-Cola Chairman Sells Stock

About CocaCola

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.