Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Grows Stock Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its holdings in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 20.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 115,095 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 19,436 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $7,633,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in CocaCola by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 6,773 shares of the company’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Summitry LLC grew its holdings in CocaCola by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 7,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,000 after buying an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 12,656 shares of the company’s stock valued at $835,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 0.5% in the second quarter. Cetera Trust Company N.A now owns 30,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,149,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Diversified Enterprises LLC boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.0% during the third quarter. Diversified Enterprises LLC now owns 14,656 shares of the company’s stock worth $972,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CocaCola News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several quarterly and annual EPS forecasts for KO (Q1/Q2 2026–2027 and FY2026–FY2028), lifting FY2027 and FY2028 estimates and nudging nearer‑term quarter estimates higher — a direct fundamental reason for positive sentiment around earnings power and forward profitability. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citi conference participation: CFO John Murphy will present at the Citi Global Consumer & Retail Conference on March 9, providing investors live access to management commentary and an earnings‑cycle update (could clarify strategy and outlook but is informational rather than catalytic). Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational / strategic moves: Coca‑Cola is pausing U.S. availability of Topo Chico temporarily for production upgrades while promoting BodyArmor as the official NCAA March Madness sports drink and preparing a CEO transition — mixed near‑term supply disruption vs. marketing/brand gains and leadership change. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context & comparisons: Analyst pieces weighing PepsiCo vs. Coca‑Cola and coverage of Keurig Dr Pepper’s plans provide sector framing — useful for relative valuation and positioning but not company‑specific catalysts. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose sharply in February — shorted shares increased ~21.5% to ~41.2M (about 1.0% of float) with a ~1.8 days‑to‑cover — that can pressure sentiment and amplify downside on weak news or earnings. Data source: Market data

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $80.48 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $346.12 billion, a PE ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.36. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.80 and its 200 day moving average is $70.74. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $81.09. 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 (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.11%.

Insider Transactions at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 trade represents a 49.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.