CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) was the target of a large growth in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 41,189,418 shares, a growth of 21.5% from the January 29th total of 33,894,174 shares. Approximately 1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 23,273,059 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Based on an average daily volume of 23,273,059 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days. Approximately 1.0% of the company’s stock are short sold.

CocaCola Stock Down 1.1%

KO stock opened at $79.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $341.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $74.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.96. CocaCola has a 1-year low of $65.35 and a 1-year high of $82.00.

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

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The business 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 $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In related news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.16, for a total value of $1,603,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 57,532 shares in the company, valued at $4,611,765.12. This represents a 25.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total transaction of $7,996,723.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 410,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,016,431. The trade was a 19.50% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 566,036 shares of company stock worth $44,410,822. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CocaCola

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,734,417,000 after acquiring an additional 1,992,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in CocaCola by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,273,037,000 after acquiring an additional 433,547 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,816,697,000 after purchasing an additional 1,195,581 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on KO. Citigroup increased their price objective on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. One investment 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 an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major brokerages maintain a favorable view—KO was given a consensus “Buy” rating by brokerages, which supports investor confidence and may limit downside pressure. Brokerage Consensus
• Positive Sentiment: KO continues to appear in dividend-focused lists (e.g., retirement/dividend growth roundups), reinforcing its reputation as a dependable income stock for yield-oriented investors and likely supporting long-term demand. Fool: Dividend Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and sector screens highlight consumer staples (including KO) as potential earnings-beaters, offering a watchlist signal but not a direct catalyst. These articles may attract attention from dividend and defensive‑fund flows rather than trigger immediate price moves. Zacks: Consumer Staples
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles revisiting Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio moves mention KO in the context of Buffett-era shifts; this is informational and can influence sentiment among value investors but is not a company-specific catalyst. MarketBeat: Berkshire Review
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola FEMSA (KOF) proposed a 2026 ordinary dividend payable quarterly—positive for the Coca‑Cola system’s franchise/partner stability, but the direct impact on KO PLC’s stock is limited. TipRanks: KOF Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on KO’s long dividend streak and a new investor‑relations chief frames a valuation debate—this keeps the stock in focus for income investors but may prolong volatility as market participants reassess fair value. Yahoo Finance: Dividend Streak & IR
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares (~$5.8M at ~\$80.52), reducing his holding by ~20.6%. Large insider sales can weigh on sentiment and are likely a key driver behind intraday weakness. SEC Form 4

About CocaCola

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.