Virtu Financial LLC Sells 7,573 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Virtu Financial LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 14.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 44,765 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,573 shares during the quarter. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $3,129,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Anfield Capital Management LLC boosted its position in CocaCola by 438.8% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Daytona Street Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on KO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Barclays increased their price objective on CocaCola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 price objective on CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CocaCola has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.69.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola remains a favorite among dividend and blue-chip investors, with multiple recent articles highlighting its durable business model, strong free-cash-flow generation, and long track record of dividend growth. Several analysts and commentary pieces also describe KO as a solid long-term holding despite market volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: One Seeking Alpha piece argued that Coca-Cola still has upside, pointing to Q1 2026 double-digit revenue growth, margin expansion, pricing power, and valuation targets above current levels. Another noted the company’s strong Q1 results, including 10% organic revenue growth and 18% EPS growth, along with continued market share gains.
• Positive Sentiment: KO is also getting attention from stock screeners and analyst-focused articles that list it among attractive blue-chip or “must-own” dividend names, which can support sentiment for a defensive consumer-staples stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: News that Coca-Cola is exploring a potential IPO for its India bottling arm is being watched as a strategic refranchising move. Investors may see this as a way to streamline operations and unlock value, but details are still limited and the impact is uncertain.
• Negative Sentiment: Some recent commentary is more cautious on valuation, arguing that KO’s share price already reflects much of its quality and that the dividend yield has become less compelling at current levels. Technical caution was also mentioned in one article, suggesting limited near-term upside after the stock’s strong run.

CocaCola Stock Down 0.6%

KO stock opened at $79.43 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $78.98 and a 200 day moving average of $75.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $341.75 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. CocaCola Company has a 52 week low of $65.35 and a 52 week high of $84.04.

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

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In related news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 181,384 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,412,772.64. This represents a 35.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing 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, EVP Nancy Quan sold 31,625 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.93, for a total transaction of $2,559,411.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,074,096.90. The trade was 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 a total of 899,905 shares of company stock worth $71,832,315 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola Company Profile

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.