CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading 1.1% Higher After Dividend Announcement

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) shares were up 1.1% during trading on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $79.84 and last traded at $79.7940. Approximately 17,068,494 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 19,621,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.91.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KO shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $83.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $84.33.

CocaCola Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $343.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $72.82 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $70.37.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (a ~3.9% increase), marking another year in its long dividend-growth streak — a tangible income boost that supports the stock’s appeal to yield-focused investors. Coca-Cola (KO) Raises Its Divided for a 64th Consecutive Year
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat and management set FY‑2026 guidance (3.210–3.240 EPS), giving investors clarity on profits and supporting the stock’s upward move this session.
• Positive Sentiment: Industry outlook: analysts highlight health-focused product innovation and digital growth as offsetting ingredient-cost pressure — a structural tailwind for Coca‑Cola’s revenue mix and margin recovery. 5 Soft Drinks Stocks Set to Gain as Innovation Offsets Cost Pressures
• Neutral Sentiment: CFO/CEO succession activity: Coca‑Cola disclosed executive pay details ahead of an upcoming CEO transition (details on compensation and transition planning released). This is relevant for governance and continuity but isn’t an immediate earnings swing factor. Coca-Cola details executive pay ahead of CEO transition
• Neutral Sentiment: Media and investor attention pieces (Zacks/Yahoo) are spotlighting KO as a heavily searched/security of interest — this can amplify flows but doesn’t change fundamentals immediately. CocaCola Company (The) (KO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term income narratives (Fool pieces) continue to pitch KO as a buy-and-hold dividend compounder — supports steady demand from income investors but less relevant for near-term price swings. Is Coca-Cola Still the Ultimate Dividend Stock to Buy Now and Hold Forever?
• Negative Sentiment: Benzinga flagged a sharp drop in Coca‑Cola’s value score after a ~15% YTD run and cited a tepid 2026 outlook — this raises near-term valuation risk and could pressure the stock if growth expectations slip. Coca-Cola Loses Fizz As Value Score Drops After 15% YTD Surge, Tepid 2026 Outlook

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total value of $26,046,230.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,410,296.60. This represents a 49.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in CocaCola by 13.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 4,591 shares in the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in CocaCola by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,795 shares of the company’s stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $210,000. United Bank raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 9.5% in the 2nd quarter. United Bank now owns 91,201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,452,000 after purchasing an additional 7,903 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 3.4% during the second quarter. Retirement Planning Group LLC now owns 12,820 shares of the company’s stock worth $907,000 after purchasing an additional 427 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.