Covea Finance trimmed its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO – Free Report) by 8.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 396,900 shares of the company’s stock after selling 37,300 shares during the period. Covea Finance’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $27,747,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in CocaCola by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 368,885,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,464,464,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443,189 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in CocaCola by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 165,858,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,296,000 after purchasing an additional 923,278 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in CocaCola during the second quarter worth $3,846,270,000. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 15.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,592,732,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 2.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,051,787 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,860,395,000 after purchasing an additional 770,235 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Key CocaCola News
Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on KO to $90 (from $87) and reiterated a Buy rating, citing shifting consumer trends that could help growth — a near?term bullish signal from the Street. Jefferies Raises Coca?Cola (KO) Target
- Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway continues to hold Coca?Cola and commentary highlights how time and dividends have produced strong long?term returns — a reaffirmation of institutional confidence. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Is Doubling Its Money in Coca?Cola…
- Positive Sentiment: Coca?Cola was highlighted as a top dividend?growth name in investor roundups, reinforcing its appeal to income and defensive investors. 3 Best Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy in March
- Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flagged rising investor attention in KO searches and summarized key data points investors should know — useful context but not a direct catalyst. CocaCola Company (The) (KO) is Attracting Investor Attention
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary pieces offer mixed takeaways on consumer staples peers and Coca?Cola’s positioning; useful for longer?term thesis but not an immediate market mover. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: Coca?Cola (KO)…
- Negative Sentiment: Market coverage noted KO’s recent intraday/near?term decline and that the stock has underperformed the broader market in recent trading sessions, contributing to downward pressure. Coca?Cola (KO) Declines More Than Market
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation checks and coverage noting a cooled share price amid a CEO handover, Sprite’s NBA return and product launches add near?term uncertainty that can pressure sentiment until execution is clearer. Coca?Cola (KO) Valuation Check As Sprite Returns To NBA…
CocaCola Price Performance
CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.CocaCola’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.
CocaCola Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 69.74%.
Insider Activity at CocaCola
In related news, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total value of $5,833,593.48. Following the transaction, 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total transaction of $1,847,595.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 17,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. The trade was a 57.40% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KO. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 target price on CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.60.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on KO
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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