Coca-Cola Stock Earnings Estimates Lowered by Zacks Research

Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) – Research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q1 2028 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Coca-Cola in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, November 10th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.94 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.95. The consensus estimate for Coca-Cola’s current full-year earnings is $3.34 per share.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.65% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The firm had revenue of $13.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.82 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year.

KO has been the topic of several other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $93.00 price target (up from $83.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Bank of America upped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Freedom Broker raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. One 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $97.59 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $90.45 and a 200 day moving average of $83.06. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.28. Coca-Cola has a 12-month low of $67.27 and a 12-month high of $97.83.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 62.35%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total value of $10,126,419.45. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 41,365 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,761,319.45. This represents a 72.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 67,548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.91, for a total transaction of $6,410,980.68. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 160,428 shares in the company, valued at $15,226,221.48. The trade was a 29.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 249,498 shares of company stock valued at $23,025,238 over the last 90 days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.1% in the second quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,646,000 after buying an additional 32,723 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 402.3% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 163,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,052,000 after buying an additional 130,746 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 68.5% during the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 218,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,733,000 after buying an additional 88,690 shares in the last quarter. Moore Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $12,905,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 2,091.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 361,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,414,000 after buying an additional 345,417 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Coca-Cola

Here are a few of the latest headlines about KO:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised earnings estimates across multiple periods. Its forecasts now include $3.34 per share for FY2026, $3.53 for FY2027 and $3.78 for FY2028, with quarterly estimates also increased. The revisions suggest improved analyst expectations for earnings, although they are from one research firm. MarketBeat report on Coca-Cola earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlights Coca-Cola’s earnings strength and durable dividend. Articles point to strong third-quarter results, global growth and a 64-year record of annual dividend increases, supporting the view that the company can provide reliable income and long-term growth. Coca-Cola dividend article
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO John Murphy is scheduled to present at a Morgan Stanley conference on Dec. 2. The appearance may provide a forum for company updates, but the announcement itself contains no new financial guidance. Conference announcement

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.