Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Up 1.2% on Analyst Upgrade

Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) shares rose 1.2% on Thursday after Freedom Broker raised their price target on the stock from $85.00 to $89.00. Freedom Broker currently has a hold rating on the stock. Coca-Cola traded as high as $93.16 and last traded at $92.8450. Approximately 15,110,400 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average daily volume of 16,899,926 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.73.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KO. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $93.00 target price (up from $83.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $104.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.26.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at $24,439,553.27. The trade was a 35.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total value of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,186,798.70. This represents a 18.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 323,806 shares of company stock worth $28,820,577 over the last ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Coca-Cola

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat and guidance increase: Coca-Cola reported adjusted earnings of $0.91 per share versus the $0.88 consensus and revenue of $13.35 billion versus $12.92 billion expected. Revenue rose 7.2% year over year, global unit volume grew 5%, and management raised its 2026 outlook for the third consecutive quarter. KO Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Raised Outlook and Volume Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: JPMorgan raised its price target to $98, Citigroup to $103 and TD Cowen to $104, maintaining bullish or overweight ratings. These revisions suggest analysts see additional upside despite KO’s strong run this year. Coca-Cola Analyst Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Emerging-market expansion provides a long-term catalyst: Coca-Cola’s distribution network and local brands leave room to increase consumption in developing markets. The company is also advancing plans for a potential $1 billion IPO of its Indian bottling arm in 2027, which could unlock value and support investment in India. IPO Plans for Indian Bottling Arm
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive income appeal: Coca-Cola has increased its dividend for 64 consecutive years and offers a yield of approximately 2.3%, supporting its appeal as a stable, lower-volatility holding.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and regional risks remain: KO trades at roughly 28 times earnings after rising about 31% in 2026. North American volume was flat, while pending IRS litigation and revenue pressure from divestitures could limit near-term upside. Freedom Broker raised its target only to $89 and retained a hold rating, below the recent trading level.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Trek Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 404.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trek Financial LLC now owns 37,476 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,226,000 after purchasing an additional 30,053 shares in the last quarter. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 80.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hollow Brook Wealth Management LLC now owns 12,270 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,063,000 after acquiring an additional 5,483 shares in the last quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Woodmont Investment Counsel LLC now owns 123,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,629,000 after acquiring an additional 1,721 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 3,950,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $340,662,000 after acquiring an additional 191,490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenleaf Trust raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 99,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,586,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 1.2%

The stock has a market capitalization of $399.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The company has a fifty day moving average of $89.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.84.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.30 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 63.66%.

About Coca-Cola

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands.

The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.