CocaCola FY2026 EPS Estimate Decreased by Erste Group Bank

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank lowered their FY2026 earnings estimates for CocaCola in a report released on Thursday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank analyst S. Lingnau now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $3.22 for the year, down from their previous estimate of $3.23. The consensus estimate for CocaCola’s current full-year earnings is $2.96 per share.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $85.00.

CocaCola Price Performance

KO opened at $77.24 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $77.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $72.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46. CocaCola has a 1 year low of $65.35 and a 1 year high of $82.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $332.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 82.3% during the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 49,700 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,296,000 after acquiring an additional 22,444 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 2.9% during the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,051,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,086,000 after acquiring an additional 57,407 shares during the period. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 42.3% during the third quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. now owns 185,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,269,000 after acquiring an additional 55,000 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.9% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 10,408,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $690,311,000 after acquiring an additional 198,886 shares during the period. Finally, Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 88.9% during the third quarter. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. now owns 69,020 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,609,000 after acquiring an additional 32,478 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total transaction of $2,284,228.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total transaction of $26,046,230.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $26,410,296.60. This represents a 49.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 in the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th were issued a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 69.74%.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major broker upgrades/target hikes — UBS raised its target to $90 and Deutsche Bank bumped its target to $86 and kept a Buy rating, signaling analyst confidence and providing visible upside for investors. UBS/Benzinga Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Global marketing lift — Coca‑Cola is hosting The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy Tour stop in St. Louis, a large consumer engagement event that supports brand visibility and promotional momentum ahead of a major global sporting cycle. The FIFA World Cup 2026™ Trophy Tour by Coca‑Cola
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/portfolio framing pieces — several outlets question whether recent price strength (~YTD gains) already reflects fundamentals; useful for investors considering entry points but not an immediate catalyst. Is It Time To Reassess Coca‑Cola (KO) At US$77…
• Neutral Sentiment: Regional affiliate note — analysis on Coca‑Cola FEMSA (KOF) highlights distribution strength in Latin America; indirectly relevant to KO via franchise exposure but more pertinent to KOF investors. Coca‑Cola FEMSA: An Irreplicable Logistics Machine…
• Negative Sentiment: Technical weakness — KO slipped below its 50‑day moving average, a short‑term bearish signal cited by multiple pieces; although it remains above the 200‑day average, momentum traders may view this as a sell trigger. Coca‑Cola Slips Below 50‑Day SMA…
• Negative Sentiment: Estimate cuts and modest analyst downtick — Erste trimmed FY2027 EPS slightly, and coverage notes estimate pressure from macro/CPG softness; small downward revisions can sap near‑term sentiment. Erste Group Estimate Revision (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Recent intraday dips noted — headlines flagged yesterday’s decline despite broader market gains, reflecting mixed short‑term flows and profit‑taking. Coca‑Cola (KO) Stock Drops Despite Market Gains

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.