Wells Fargo & Company Has Lowered Expectations for CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) had its target price reduced by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $95.00 to $90.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 4.38% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $96.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Argus increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on CocaCola from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed 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. Finally, HSBC upped their price target on CocaCola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.95.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of KO opened at $86.22 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $370.98 billion, a PE ratio of 25.89, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $88.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.57. CocaCola has a twelve month low of $65.87 and a twelve month high of $92.49.

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

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, Chairman James Quincey sold 381,140 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.04, for a total transaction of $34,317,845.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at $11,059,883.32. This represents a 75.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total value of $861,367.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,082.50. This represents a 13.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% in the fourth 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. Bank of America Corp DE grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 4.4% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 45,958,636 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,735,058,000 after acquiring an additional 1,939,673 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in CocaCola by 0.4% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 36,354,414 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,954,523,000 after acquiring an additional 162,097 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in CocaCola by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,816,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,581 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in CocaCola by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,053,752 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,361,198,000 after purchasing an additional 2,439,026 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola is introducing new beverages as consumers using GLP-1 weight-loss medications shift toward smaller portions and potentially different drink choices. The product launches could help the company adapt to changing consumption patterns and support future volume growth. Coca-Cola unveils new drinks as GLP-1 use shifts demand
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo reaffirmed its Buy/Overweight view on KO, indicating continued confidence in the company’s defensive brand portfolio and operating outlook. Wells Fargo reaffirms Buy rating on Coca-Cola
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s trademark brand volume reportedly posted its strongest gain in 17 years, reinforcing the case that its growth is being supported by more than pricing alone. Analysts also point to broad-based momentum from volume, price/mix and brand investment. Coca-Cola trademark volume growth
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola has raised its dividend for 64 consecutive years and offers roughly a 2.5% yield, supporting its appeal as a defensive, long-term income holding. Coca-Cola dividend analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary comparing Coca-Cola with PepsiCo suggests KO is currently viewed more favorably as PepsiCo approaches earnings, but the discussion is opinion-based and does not change Coca-Cola’s fundamentals. Jim Cramer compares PepsiCo and Coca-Cola
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo lowered its Coca-Cola price target from $95 to $90 while retaining an Overweight rating. The reduced target limits the implied upside and signals more cautious expectations even though the analyst remains constructive. Wells Fargo lowers Coca-Cola price target
• Negative Sentiment: At about 26 times earnings, KO trades at a premium to the broader S&P 500. That valuation leaves less room for disappointment if volume growth slows or consumers resist further price increases. Has Coca-Cola stock become a different bet?

About CocaCola

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its portfolio includes sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and other ready-to-drink products. The company’s best-known brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, Powerade, Minute Maid, fairlife, and Georgia Coffee.

Founded in 1886, the company develops, owns, licenses, markets, and distributes beverage brands through a network of bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service operators.