Close Asset Management Ltd Reduces Stock Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Close Asset Management Ltd lowered its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 4.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 256,989 shares of the company’s stock after selling 12,411 shares during the quarter. Close Asset Management Ltd’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $17,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.7% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 367,441,971 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,996,519,000 after buying an additional 6,241,163 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 2.9% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,051,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,086,000 after buying an additional 57,407 shares during the last quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. increased its position in CocaCola by 42.3% in the 3rd quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. now owns 185,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,269,000 after acquiring an additional 55,000 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in CocaCola by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 10,408,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $690,311,000 after acquiring an additional 198,886 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lifted its position in CocaCola by 47.0% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 341,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $22,630,000 after acquiring an additional 109,107 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on KO. Barclays boosted their target price on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.33.

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $80.48 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is $70.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $346.12 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.36. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $81.09.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s payout ratio is currently 67.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,410,296.60. The trade was a 49.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several quarterly and annual EPS forecasts for KO (Q1/Q2 2026–2027 and FY2026–FY2028), lifting FY2027 and FY2028 estimates and nudging nearer‑term quarter estimates higher — a direct fundamental reason for positive sentiment around earnings power and forward profitability. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi conference participation: CFO John Murphy will present at the Citi Global Consumer & Retail Conference on March 9, providing investors live access to management commentary and an earnings‑cycle update (could clarify strategy and outlook but is informational rather than catalytic). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational / strategic moves: Coca‑Cola is pausing U.S. availability of Topo Chico temporarily for production upgrades while promoting BodyArmor as the official NCAA March Madness sports drink and preparing a CEO transition — mixed near‑term supply disruption vs. marketing/brand gains and leadership change. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context & comparisons: Analyst pieces weighing PepsiCo vs. Coca‑Cola and coverage of Keurig Dr Pepper’s plans provide sector framing — useful for relative valuation and positioning but not company‑specific catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in February — shorted shares increased ~21.5% to ~41.2M (about 1.0% of float) with a ~1.8 days‑to‑cover — that can pressure sentiment and amplify downside on weak news or earnings. Data source: Market data

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.