CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading Down 2.1% – Should You Sell?

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) shares were down 2.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $75.85 and last traded at $75.9790. Approximately 12,698,217 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 32% from the average daily volume of 18,733,791 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.58.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on KO to $90 (from $87) and reiterated a Buy rating, citing shifting consumer trends that could help growth — a near‑term bullish signal from the Street. Jefferies Raises Coca‑Cola (KO) Target
• Positive Sentiment: Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway continues to hold Coca‑Cola and commentary highlights how time and dividends have produced strong long‑term returns — a reaffirmation of institutional confidence. Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Is Doubling Its Money in Coca‑Cola…
• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola was highlighted as a top dividend‑growth name in investor roundups, reinforcing its appeal to income and defensive investors. 3 Best Dividend Growth Stocks to Buy in March
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks flagged rising investor attention in KO searches and summarized key data points investors should know — useful context but not a direct catalyst. CocaCola Company (The) (KO) is Attracting Investor Attention
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary pieces offer mixed takeaways on consumer staples peers and Coca‑Cola’s positioning; useful for longer‑term thesis but not an immediate market mover. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Goods Companies: Coca‑Cola (KO)…
• Negative Sentiment: Market coverage noted KO’s recent intraday/near‑term decline and that the stock has underperformed the broader market in recent trading sessions, contributing to downward pressure. Coca‑Cola (KO) Declines More Than Market
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation checks and coverage noting a cooled share price amid a CEO handover, Sprite’s NBA return and product launches add near‑term uncertainty that can pressure sentiment until execution is clearer. Coca‑Cola (KO) Valuation Check As Sprite Returns To NBA…

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KO. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 price target on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.60.

CocaCola Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average of $76.32 and a 200-day moving average of $71.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $321.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.59, a P/E/G ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.74%.

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total value of $5,833,593.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total value of $1,872,702.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,200,276,000 after purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in CocaCola by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,734,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992,327 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in CocaCola by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,273,037,000 after purchasing an additional 433,547 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in CocaCola by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,816,697,000 after buying an additional 1,195,581 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

About CocaCola

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.