CocaCola Company (The) $KO Stock: Sterling Capital Management LLC Trims Stake

Sterling Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 51.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 43,408 shares of the company’s stock after selling 46,275 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $3,737,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,646,000 after purchasing an additional 32,723 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 68.5% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 218,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,733,000 after purchasing an additional 88,690 shares during the period. CX Institutional increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 402.3% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 163,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,052,000 after purchasing an additional 130,746 shares during the period. Moore Capital Management LP acquired a new position in CocaCola in the second quarter valued at about $12,905,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in CocaCola by 2,091.3% in the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 361,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,414,000 after purchasing an additional 345,417 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Defensive investors have favored Coca-Cola as broader large-cap markets weakened, while the company’s industry-leading margins, reliable dividend and global brand continue to support demand for the stock. Defensive consumer stocks article
• Positive Sentiment: KFC plans to move roughly 3,600 U.S. restaurants back to Coca-Cola products beginning in early 2027, potentially adding fountain-volume growth and strengthening KO’s restaurant-channel presence. Coca-Cola KFC agreement article
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola selected agency partners and reaffirmed its global marketing strategy, including expanded use of data, technology and artificial intelligence. Management expects the initiative to improve consumer engagement and support long-term growth. Coca-Cola marketing agency announcement
• Positive Sentiment: KO has beaten earnings-per-share estimates for six consecutive quarters. Wall Street expects third-quarter results before the market opens on October 27, with projected sales above $12.9 billion; another beat could extend the stock’s momentum. Coca-Cola third-quarter earnings preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s shares have gained roughly one-third in 2026 and recently entered the $400 billion market-capitalization group. Historical analysis suggests strong calendar-year gains have often been followed by additional advances, although the comparison does not guarantee future performance. Coca-Cola historical performance article
• Negative Sentiment: KO’s premium valuation leaves limited room for an earnings disappointment. Analysts see benefits from pricing and margin expansion, but weak volumes in some key markets remain a concern. A reported data-breach investigation and potential class-action claims also introduce legal and reputational risk. Coca-Cola data breach investigation

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $93.00 price objective (up from $83.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $89.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CocaCola has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.27.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. The trade was a 35.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 145,947 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total value of $13,148,365.23. Following the sale, the chairman owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,066,024.97. This trade represents a 54.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 926,620 shares of company stock valued at $83,075,714. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Stock Down 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $92.77 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $89.11 and a 200-day moving average of $83.94. The company has a market capitalization of $399.15 billion, a PE ratio of 27.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.32. 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 $67.27 and a 52-week high of $95.37.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%. CocaCola’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 3.30 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

About CocaCola

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.