VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Buys Shares of 252,628 CocaCola Company (The) $KO

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 252,628 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $20,531,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Louisbourg Investments Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in CocaCola by 1,081.8% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new stake in CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total value of $10,126,419.45. Following the sale, the insider owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,319.45. This represents a 72.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total value of $861,367.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 62,105 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,372,082.50. This represents a 13.82% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 950,604 shares of company stock worth $85,076,219 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $93.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen increased their price target on CocaCola from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Seaport Research Partners set a $95.00 price target on CocaCola in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, HSBC lowered CocaCola from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.76.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street continues to favor Coca-Cola over PepsiCo despite PepsiCo’s lower valuation and approximately 4.2% dividend yield. Coca-Cola’s consistent performance and stronger investor sentiment are supporting the stock’s premium positioning. Pepsi is dirt cheap with a 4.2% dividend yield. Here’s why Wall Street is favoring Coca-Cola instead
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and investors are highlighting KO as a defensive blue-chip leader among Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and Procter & Gamble. Its stronger returns reinforce demand for dependable consumer brands during uncertain markets. Which Defensive Stock Has Dominated in 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Recent operating results provide fundamental support: Coca-Cola exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue up 6.2% year over year. Full-year 2026 earnings guidance remains about $3.27 to $3.30 per share.
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary describes Coca-Cola as a well-run Dividend King that is performing well, but investors are debating whether the recent run has already captured much of the upside. Coca-Cola: Buy, Sell, or Hold After Its Recent Run?
• Negative Sentiment: Near-record trading levels and a relatively elevated valuation could limit further gains or make the stock vulnerable to profit-taking if growth slows. One article specifically questions whether the rally can continue or whether “the fizz” is about to fade. Up 26% in 2026, Is Coca-Cola a Buy Near an All-Time High?
• Neutral Sentiment: Announcements concerning Coca-Cola İçecek A.Ş.’s regional subsidiaries and approval to issue up to $1 billion in overseas debt relate to a separate bottling affiliate, not directly to Coca-Cola Company’s core stock.

CocaCola Trading Down 0.0%

CocaCola stock opened at $88.05 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.20 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $378.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.44, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.30. CocaCola Company has a 52 week low of $65.35 and a 52 week high of $92.49.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%.The firm had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

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.