CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading Up 1.1% Following Dividend Announcement

Shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) rose 1.1% on Friday after the company announced a dividend. The company traded as high as $79.84 and last traded at $79.7940. Approximately 17,068,494 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 19,621,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.91.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th 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 of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on KO. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group upped their price target on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America raised their price objective on CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.33.

CocaCola Trading Up 1.1%

The company has a market capitalization of $343.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend (now $0.53/share) and confirmed the payout schedule — a ~3.9% bump and the 64th consecutive annual increase, reinforcing its Dividend King status and attracting income investors. Coca‑Cola Raises Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Management is executing a CEO succession that pairs a digital‑first push with the dividend growth story — investors view this as continuity with a growth tilt, supporting multiple expansion. CEO Shift and Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage highlights that health‑focused product innovation and digital/channel growth could offset input‑cost pressure for soft drink makers, favoring leaders like KO. Soft Drinks Industry Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish commentary and price targets (e.g., articles arguing KO can reach triple‑digits) add optimism to momentum traders. Bullish Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets note increased investor attention and search interest in KO — higher visibility can amplify moves in either direction but is not direct fundamental news. Investor Attention Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola disclosed executive pay details ahead of the CEO transition — useful for governance-focused investors but unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the short term. Exec Pay Disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat ($0.58 vs. $0.56) but a slight revenue miss; management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of ~3.21–3.24 — mixed operational data that supports the dividend case but tempers growth expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Benzinga warns KO’s value score has weakened after a ~15% YTD rally and highlights a tepid 2026 outlook, raising concerns that upside may be limited absent stronger top‑line momentum. Valuation/Outlook Warning

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total transaction of $26,046,230.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $26,410,296.60. This trade represents a 49.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Catalyst Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at about $476,000. Cambient Family Office LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,665,000. McLaughlin Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $997,000. Kinloch Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Kinloch Capital LLC now owns 60,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,214,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $126,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.