Coca-Cola Company (The) $KO Stake Decreased by First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.

First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its stake in Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 167,958 shares of the company’s stock after selling 11,420 shares during the period. Coca-Cola comprises approximately 2.8% of First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $14,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 9.5% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 44,018,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,347,642,000 after purchasing an additional 3,836,640 shares in the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 1,763.2% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 3,383,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $257,302,000 after buying an additional 3,201,742 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 9.2% during the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,053,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,361,198,000 after buying an additional 2,439,026 shares during the period. Alecta Tjanstepension Omsesidigt acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the second quarter valued at approximately $197,470,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 76.5% in the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,999,625 shares of the company’s stock valued at $228,121,000 after acquiring an additional 1,300,577 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Coca-Cola News

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola exceeded expectations with third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.91 versus $0.88 expected and revenue of approximately $13.35 billion versus $12.92 billion expected. Revenue increased 7.2% year over year, while global unit-case volume rose 5%, led by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and international markets. Coca-Cola Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Volume Growth, Outlook Raised
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 comparable EPS-growth outlook to at least 11%, up from the prior 9%-10% forecast, marking the third consecutive outlook increase. Margin strength, pricing, favorable currency trends and resilient demand for zero-sugar and premium beverages supported the improved outlook. KO Q3 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts became more constructive: Citigroup raised its target to $103 with a Buy rating, TD Cowen raised its target to $104 with a Buy rating, and JPMorgan lifted its target to $98 with an Overweight rating. Coca-Cola Analyst Forecasts
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s 64-year dividend-growth record and roughly 2.3% yield continue to appeal to income-focused investors, but the valuation leaves less room for error after a substantial share-price rally.
• Negative Sentiment: North American volume was flat, with weakness in water, sports drinks, coffee and tea. Analysts also cited potential consumer pressure into 2027, pending IRS litigation and future revenue effects from divestitures. Freedom Broker therefore raised its target only to $89 and retained a Hold rating. Coca-Cola Earnings Beat and Outlook

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of KO opened at $91.75 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $89.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $81.84. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a market capitalization of $394.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.32. Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $67.27 and a 52-week high of $95.37.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The company had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.30 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at $24,439,553.27. This trade represents a 35.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total transaction of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,186,798.70. This represents a 18.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 323,806 shares of company stock worth $28,820,577. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. HSBC boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $86.00 target price (up from $82.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.26.

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.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.