Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 154,195 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Van ECK Associates Corp lowered its position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 15.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 817,878 shares of the company’s stock after selling 154,195 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $66,469,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Anfield Capital Management LLC increased 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 period. Louisbourg Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola during the second quarter worth about $27,000. 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: Defensive-sector demand is supporting KO. Market commentary points to Coca-Cola’s stable cash flows and relatively low volatility as attractive while investors seek safety and quality amid changing interest-rate expectations. Why is Coca-Cola drawing steady demand as staples turn defensive today?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Coca-Cola to Rank #2, or “Buy.” The upgrade reflects improving expectations for the company’s earnings prospects and could provide a near-term sentiment boost. Coca-Cola upgraded to Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating momentum remains constructive. Coca-Cola’s latest quarter included revenue growth of about 6% year over year and an earnings beat, while the company maintains fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $3.27–$3.30.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed but leans supportive. More institutions added KO shares than reduced them in the latest quarter, with notable additions from JPMorgan, Geode and Capital World Investors, although BlackRock, Capital Research and Invesco trimmed positions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst support is positive, but valuation may limit upside. Barclays and JPMorgan maintain “Overweight” ratings, while the reported median price target of $89.50 is close to the current trading level. Commentary also describes the valuation as stretched. Coca-Cola upgraded to Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a cautionary signal. Company insiders made 30 open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months, including substantial sales by Chairman James Quincey and other senior executives.

CocaCola Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $89.63 on Friday. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $92.49. The company has a market capitalization of $385.64 billion, a PE ratio of 26.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average of $85.32 and a 200-day moving average of $80.83.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%.The company had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $86.00 price target (up from $82.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. HSBC downgraded CocaCola from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Truist Financial set a $88.00 price objective on CocaCola in a report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on CocaCola from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.76.

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In related news, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total transaction of $34,960,398.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,842,608.29. This trade represents a 78.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total value of $13,313,290.73. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at $24,439,553.27. The trade was a 35.26% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,594,900 shares of company stock worth $136,568,617. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.