Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Sells 8,284 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 21.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 31,080 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,284 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $2,173,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the third quarter worth $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in CocaCola in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in CocaCola in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.60.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of KO opened at $75.23 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $323.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.35. CocaCola Company has a 1 year low of $65.35 and a 1 year high of $82.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $76.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced 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 analysts’ expectations 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 in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current 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 of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is currently 69.74%.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca?Cola is expanding its Fairlife milk production and bottler investments, broadening higher?margin, value?added dairy and new beverage categories that can diversify revenue and support margins. Coca-Cola Expands Fairlife And Bottler Investments To Broaden Earnings Mix
• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett (via Berkshire) still hasn’t sold a single KO share in 30+ years; the story highlights long?term shareholder confidence and sizable dividend income Berkshire receives — a vote of confidence for income investors. Why Warren Buffett’s Coca-Cola (KO) Investment Remains Untouched After Three Decades
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst/market pieces highlight KO’s dividend strength — 64 consecutive years of increases — reinforcing demand from income?focused investors and supporting valuation stability. Why Coca-Cola (KO) Is Warren Buffett’s Best Dividend Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Comparisons with Keurig (KDP) note KO’s global scale and pricing power versus KDP’s innovation; useful context for relative valuation and sector allocation decisions but not an immediate catalyst. Coca-Cola vs. Keurig: Which Beverage Stock Looks Poised for Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Another analyst write?up reiterates KO vs KDP tradeoffs (scale vs. innovation), helpful for longer?term positioning rather than day?to?day moves. Coca-Cola vs. Keurig: Which Beverage Stock Looks Poised for Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Local marketing/PR: Coca?Cola Southwest revealed winners of a mural competition — brand/PR positive but unlikely to move fundamentals. Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages and Texas Monthly Studio Reveal Winners of Star-Spangled Texas Mural Competition
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~23.7% to ~53.7M shares as of March 13, raising the short?interest ratio to ~3.1 days (about 1.3% of shares shorted) — increased bearish bets can add downward pressure or volatility if sentiment reverses.
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts warn of 2026 margin pressure as pricing normalizes, costs remain volatile, and volume recovery in India, China and Mexico will be critical — a risk to near?term earnings and multiples. Coca?Cola Faces Margin Pressure: Can Pricing Power Hold?

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $17,754,735. This represents a 9.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.