Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Buys 46,300 Shares of CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,760,861 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 46,300 shares during the period. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $116,780,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, MMA Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about 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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their price target on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total value of $7,996,723.54. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 410,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,016,431. This trade represents a 19.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 21,326 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.75, for a total value of $1,722,074.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 173,728 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,028,536. This represents a 10.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 493,587 shares of company stock worth $38,577,228. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Stock Up 1.2%

KO stock opened at $81.46 on Monday. CocaCola Company has a 52 week low of $65.35 and a 52 week high of $82.00. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.82. 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 company has a market cap of $350.32 billion, a PE ratio of 26.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.35.

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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

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

CocaCola 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.