CocaCola FY2026 EPS Estimate Decreased by Erste Group Bank

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank cut their FY2026 earnings estimates for CocaCola in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $3.22 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $3.23. The consensus estimate for CocaCola’s current full-year earnings is $2.96 per share.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on KO. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $85.00.

CocaCola Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of KO stock opened at $77.24 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $332.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $77.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.44. CocaCola has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $82.00.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 69.74%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 17,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. This trade represents a 57.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total transaction of $26,046,230.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $26,410,296.60. The trade was a 49.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its position in CocaCola by 438.8% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in CocaCola by 1,081.8% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major broker upgrades/target hikes — UBS raised its target to $90 and Deutsche Bank bumped its target to $86 and kept a Buy rating, signaling analyst confidence and providing visible upside for investors. UBS/Benzinga Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Global marketing lift — Coca?Cola is hosting The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy Tour stop in St. Louis, a large consumer engagement event that supports brand visibility and promotional momentum ahead of a major global sporting cycle. The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy Tour by Coca?Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/portfolio framing pieces — several outlets question whether recent price strength (~YTD gains) already reflects fundamentals; useful for investors considering entry points but not an immediate catalyst. Is It Time To Reassess Coca?Cola (KO) At US$77…
• Neutral Sentiment: Regional affiliate note — analysis on Coca?Cola FEMSA (KOF) highlights distribution strength in Latin America; indirectly relevant to KO via franchise exposure but more pertinent to KOF investors. Coca?Cola FEMSA: An Irreplicable Logistics Machine…
• Negative Sentiment: Technical weakness — KO slipped below its 50?day moving average, a short?term bearish signal cited by multiple pieces; although it remains above the 200?day average, momentum traders may view this as a sell trigger. Coca?Cola Slips Below 50?Day SMA…
• Negative Sentiment: Estimate cuts and modest analyst downtick — Erste trimmed FY2027 EPS slightly, and coverage notes estimate pressure from macro/CPG softness; small downward revisions can sap near?term sentiment. Erste Group Estimate Revision (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent intraday dips noted — headlines flagged yesterday’s decline despite broader market gains, reflecting mixed short?term flows and profit?taking. Coca?Cola (KO) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains

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.