Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Boosts Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 51.9% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 619,765 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 211,873 shares during the quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $47,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,734,417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,992,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,273,037,000 after acquiring an additional 433,547 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in CocaCola by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,816,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,581 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of KO stock opened at $82.19 on Friday. CocaCola Company has a twelve month low of $65.35 and a twelve month high of $85.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $353.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.34. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $78.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.36, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $12.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.24 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 40.55% and a net margin of 27.80%.The business’s revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. On average, analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 66.67%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their target price on CocaCola from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $83.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.33.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett reportedly said Coca-Cola remains one of his preferred businesses, reinforcing the company’s reputation as a durable, high-quality consumer staple and potentially supporting investor confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Articles highlighting Coca-Cola as a top dividend stock and a favorite among large investors may help reinforce the stock’s defensive, income-oriented appeal. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage ahead of Q2 earnings suggests Wall Street is watching for pricing strength and margin gains, which could support the stock if Coca-Cola beats expectations again. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles simply preview Coca-Cola’s upcoming results and key metrics, indicating investor focus is centered on the earnings release rather than a new company-specific catalyst. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Recent market commentary noted Coca-Cola underperformed the broader market in the latest session, reflecting near-term selling pressure on the shares. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some analyst-style pieces argue investors could do better in other dividend stocks or Pepsico, which may create mild competition for Coca-Cola among income-focused buyers. Article Title

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CocaCola news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $7,946,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 181,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,412,772.64. This trade represents a 35.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.13, for a total transaction of $34,960,398.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman owned 122,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,842,608.29. This represents a 78.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

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.