CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Raised to Hold at Sanford C. Bernstein

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price target on CocaCola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 21st. Weiss Ratings raised CocaCola from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. TD Cowen increased their price target on CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $86.69.

CocaCola Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE:KO opened at $82.63 on Thursday. CocaCola has a 1 year low of $65.35 and a 1 year high of $84.04. The stock has a market cap of $355.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.35. The business has a fifty day moving average of $78.70 and a 200-day moving average of $75.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.05. CocaCola had a return on equity of 40.55% and a net margin of 27.80%.The company had revenue of $12.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. Equities analysts predict that CocaCola will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In related news, Chairman James Quincey sold 436,296 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 122,833 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,842,608.29. This trade represents a 78.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 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, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total value of $2,559,411.25. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,074,096.90. This represents a 12.40% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold 899,905 shares of company stock valued at $71,832,315 over the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CocaCola

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 438.8% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% during the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC Capital reiterated its buy view on Coca-Cola, reinforcing Wall Street’s generally favorable stance on KO and supporting the stock’s recent strength.
• Positive Sentiment: Several reports highlighted Coca-Cola as a potential beneficiary of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with expectations that beverage volume and consumer spending could rise during the tournament.
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary also pointed to strong Q1 results, including an earnings and revenue beat, solid organic growth, and volume gains, which continue to underpin the bullish investment case. Coca-Cola’s Q1 Results Prove It’s a Good Buy to Hold and Hold
• Positive Sentiment: Investor interest remains supported by Coca-Cola’s reliable dividend and defensive profile, which continue to attract income-focused buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Jennifer K. Mann disclosed a stock sale, but it was conducted under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan and tied to equity-award tax withholding, making it less of a concern than discretionary insider selling.

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.