Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 1.7% – Should You Buy?

Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) shares shot up 1.7% during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock traded as high as $99.30 and last traded at $99.0820. 17,899,615 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 5% from the average daily volume of 17,032,113 shares. The stock had previously closed at $97.44.

Coca-Cola News Roundup

Here’s some of the latest news about KO:

• Positive Sentiment: Shares reached a fresh all-time high near $100, reflecting continued investor demand and extending the stock’s recent run. KO Stock Alert: Coca-Cola Just Hit a New All-Time High
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research reportedly raised its FY2026 EPS estimates. Recent coverage also points to revenue growth, rising volumes, brand innovation and an upbeat 2026 outlook as supports for the investment case. Coca-Cola Stock Hits 52-Week High: Should You Buy Now or Wait?
• Neutral Sentiment: The latest analyst estimate updates are mixed: FY2026 estimates were lifted, while Zacks Research trimmed its Q1 2028 EPS estimate slightly, from $0.95 to $0.94. FY2026 EPS Estimates for Coca-Cola Lifted by Zacks Research

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. 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 report on Friday, October 16th. DZ Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $93.00 target price (up from $83.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $86.00 target price (up from $82.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a research 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. According to MarketBeat, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.38 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market cap of $426.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.28. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $90.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.31.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.65% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The company had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total value of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,186,798.70. The trade was a 18.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Beatriz Perez sold 67,548 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.91, for a total value of $6,410,980.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,226,221.48. This trade represents a 29.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 have sold 249,498 shares of company stock worth $23,025,238. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 168,523,287 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,594,239,000 after purchasing an additional 1,123,908 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.4% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,958,636 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,735,058,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939,673 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.4% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,354,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,954,523,000 after buying an additional 162,097 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position 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. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 18,822,295 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,431,495,000 after buying an additional 235,785 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.