CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 2.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) fell 2.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $75.85 and last traded at $75.9790. 12,698,217 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 32% from the average session volume of 18,733,791 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.58.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the subject of several recent research reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.60.

CocaCola Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $326.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a P/E/G ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $76.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $71.53. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $11.82 billion for 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%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. 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%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is currently 69.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of CocaCola 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 owned 17,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,371,383.25. The trade was a 57.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total value 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Vestia Personal Wealth Advisors now owns 3,819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $275,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Alteri Wealth LLC increased its stake in CocaCola by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Alteri Wealth LLC now owns 7,738 shares of the company’s stock valued at $541,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Apexium Financial LP lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Apexium Financial LP now owns 12,154 shares of the company’s stock worth $810,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Lbmc Investment Advisors LLC now owns 38,886 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,718,000 after buying an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stockman Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 8,901 shares of the company’s stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.