Insider Selling: CocaCola (NYSE:KO) EVP Sells $1,722,074.50 in Stock

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) EVP Beatriz Perez sold 21,326 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.75, for a total transaction of $1,722,074.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 173,728 shares in the company, valued at $14,028,536. This represents a 10.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

CocaCola Trading Up 1.2%

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $81.46 on Monday. 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 fifty day simple moving average of $74.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.82. The stock has a market cap of $350.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.79, a PEG ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.35. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $82.00.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. CocaCola’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the topic of a number of research reports. 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 report on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating 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 given a Buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.33.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Anfield Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in CocaCola by 438.8% during the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% during the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Unusual call buying — Investors purchased ~61,806 call options on KO Friday (about 17% above a typical day), signaling short‑term bullish positioning that can amplify upside into upcoming catalysts.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised near‑term and multi‑year EPS forecasts — Analysts lifted Q1/Q2 and FY2026–FY2028 estimates, nudging forward EPS momentum and supporting a higher valuation multiple for KO.
• Neutral Sentiment: Defensive rotation / momentum into blue‑chips — MarketBeat highlighted KO as part of a broader move into defensive, dividend‑paying names as tech cools; that thematic flow helps demand for KO but is macro‑driven. MarketBeat Week in Review
• Neutral Sentiment: Swire Pacific restructuring of its Vietnam Coca‑Cola stake — Corporate-level changes in regional ownership could alter local distribution/partner dynamics; impact on KO is indirect and longer term. Swire Pacific update
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive press on KO as a long‑running dividend name — Inclusion in lists of century‑plus dividend payers/reliable blue‑chips supports buy‑and‑hold interest but is a slow, steady demand factor. 247WallSt dividend article
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling — Several executives disclosed recent share sales (CFO John Murphy sold ~99,437 shares; EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 20,000; EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold multiple blocks). Large insider dispositions can weigh on sentiment even when company fundamentals remain intact. SEC filings: CFO Form 4 EVP Monica Form 4 EVP Beatriz Form 4

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.