Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Cuts Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC lowered its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 145,785 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,670 shares during the quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $11,848,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,734,417,000 after buying an additional 1,992,327 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in CocaCola by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,273,037,000 after purchasing an additional 433,547 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth about $3,865,807,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of CocaCola by 9.5% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 44,018,963 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,347,642,000 after acquiring an additional 3,836,640 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other news, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 23,984 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $83.41, for a total value of $2,000,505.44. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 157,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,128,734. The trade was a 13.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 145,947 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $11,066,024.97. The trade was a 54.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,433,535 shares of company stock valued at $121,922,698. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b+)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Friday, July 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $93.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. UBS Group set a $104.00 price target on shares of CocaCola and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up from $89.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $86.00 target price (up from $82.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.76.

CocaCola Stock Up 1.0%

CocaCola stock opened at $87.57 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $376.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.33. CocaCola Company has a 52 week low of $65.35 and a 52 week high of $90.92. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $83.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The firm had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is presently 63.66%.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings underpin investor confidence: Coca-Cola’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.97 versus the $0.93 consensus and revenue of $13.37 billion versus $13.17 billion expected. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, while full-year 2026 guidance remains $3.27–$3.30 in EPS. The debates that matter for KO stock
• Positive Sentiment: Profit estimates are moving higher: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $3.29 from $3.26, FY2027 to $3.51 from $3.47 and FY2028 to $3.74 from $3.71. Several quarterly estimates were also increased, suggesting analysts see continued earnings momentum. Coca-Cola analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive and dividend characteristics remain attractive: Coca-Cola’s globally recognized brands, approximately 2.4% dividend yield and long dividend-growth record make KO appealing to income-oriented investors seeking stability while markets become less certain. Its long-standing Berkshire Hathaway holding also reinforces the stock’s “buy and hold” reputation. Warren Buffett stocks to buy and hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are monitoring consumer pressure: Articles focus on gasoline prices, inflation data and their potential effect on household spending. Coca-Cola’s affordable beverage portfolio may prove relatively resilient, although sustained cost-of-living pressure could affect volumes or product mix. Coca-Cola and gasoline prices
• Neutral Sentiment: International bottler updates have limited direct impact: Coca-Cola İçecek’s disclosures about its regional bottling network and debt redemption relate primarily to the separate bottler, COLZF, rather than directly to KO. Coca-Cola Icecek bottling network
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation creates downside risk: After its recent rally, KO trades near 26 times earnings. Analysts are debating whether the premium is justified by Coca-Cola’s growth and margin performance, leaving less room for disappointment. Coca-Cola valuation analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment: Insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares for about $861,000, reducing his direct holding by 13.8%. The transaction is not necessarily a fundamental warning, but it could attract attention at elevated share-price levels. Coca-Cola insider sale

CocaCola 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.