CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 1.1% on Insider Selling

Shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) traded down 1.1% during mid-day trading on Tuesday following insider selling activity. The stock traded as low as $78.56 and last traded at $79.32. 19,948,794 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 2% from the average session volume of 19,471,750 shares. The stock had previously closed at $80.22.

Specifically, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total transaction of $5,833,593.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.16, for a total value of $1,603,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 57,532 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,765.12. This represents a 25.80% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In related news, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total transaction of $7,996,723.54. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 410,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,016,431. This represents a 19.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages maintain a favorable view — KO was given a consensus “Buy” rating by analysts, which supports medium-term upside expectations. CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages
• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat potential noted — Zacks flagged KO among consumer staples that could beat estimates, a point that could lift sentiment into the next reporting cycle. These 2 Consumer Staples Stocks Could Beat Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage reinforces KO’s income appeal — outlets including The Motley Fool and 247WallSt. listed KO among steady dividend growers suitable for income portfolios. That helps underpin longer-term investor demand. 4 Boring But Beautiful Dividend Stocks Retire Comfortably With These Dividend Growth Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend streak and IR leadership create a valuation debate — Yahoo notes KO’s long dividend streak and a new investor?relations chief, framing a discussion on whether growth expectations justify current multiples; this can create short?term volatility. Coca-Cola Dividend Streak And New IR Chief Underline Valuation Debate
• Negative Sentiment: Large insider sale by the CFO — CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares (~$5.83M) and reduced his stake by ~20.6%, a sizable disclosure that often triggers negative sentiment and selling pressure. The SEC filing is available for review. SEC Form 4 – John Murphy Sale

CocaCola Stock Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $341.13 billion, a PE ratio of 26.09, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $74.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $70.90.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.11%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors now owns 3,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Alteri Wealth LLC raised its stake in CocaCola by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Alteri Wealth LLC now owns 7,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $541,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Apexium Financial LP lifted its position in CocaCola by 1.2% during the third quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 12,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $810,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in CocaCola by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,718,000 after buying an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,901 shares of the company’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.