John Murphy Sells 99,437 Shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total value of $7,996,723.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 410,550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,016,431. The trade was a 19.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

CocaCola Stock Up 1.2%

KO opened at $81.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46. The company has a market cap of $350.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.36. CocaCola Company has a one year low of $65.35 and a one year high of $82.00. The business’s fifty day moving average is $74.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.82.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. The business’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 anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group increased their price objective on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research 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, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CocaCola

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KO. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 294 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in CocaCola in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in 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 acquiring an additional 357 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call buying — Investors purchased ~61,806 call options on KO Friday (about 17% above a typical day), signaling short‑term bullish positioning that can amplify upside into upcoming catalysts.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts — Analysts lifted Q1/Q2 and FY2026–FY2028 estimates, nudging forward EPS momentum and supporting a higher valuation multiple for KO.
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive rotation / momentum into blue‑chips — MarketBeat highlighted KO as part of a broader move into defensive, dividend‑paying names as tech cools; that thematic flow helps demand for KO but is macro‑driven. MarketBeat Week in Review
• Neutral Sentiment: Swire Pacific restructuring of its Vietnam Coca‑Cola stake — Corporate-level changes in regional ownership could alter local distribution/partner dynamics; impact on KO is indirect and longer term. Swire Pacific update
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive press on KO as a long‑running dividend name — Inclusion in lists of century‑plus dividend payers/reliable blue‑chips supports buy‑and‑hold interest but is a slow, steady demand factor. 247WallSt dividend article
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling — Several executives disclosed recent share sales (CFO John Murphy sold ~99,437 shares; EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 20,000; EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold multiple blocks). Large insider dispositions can weigh on sentiment even when company fundamentals remain intact. SEC filings: CFO Form 4 EVP Monica Form 4 EVP Beatriz Form 4

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.