CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 1.1% After Dividend Announcement

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO)’s share price was up 1.1% on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The company traded as high as $79.84 and last traded at $79.7940. Approximately 17,068,494 shares were traded 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. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is 67.11%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KO shares. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Bank of America upped their target price on CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CocaCola has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.33.

CocaCola Trading Up 1.1%

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $73.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $70.45. The company has a market cap of $343.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend (now $0.53/share) and confirmed the payout schedule — a ~3.9% bump and the 64th consecutive annual increase, reinforcing its Dividend King status and attracting income investors. Coca‑Cola Raises Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Management is executing a CEO succession that pairs a digital‑first push with the dividend growth story — investors view this as continuity with a growth tilt, supporting multiple expansion. CEO Shift and Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Industry coverage highlights that health‑focused product innovation and digital/channel growth could offset input‑cost pressure for soft drink makers, favoring leaders like KO. Soft Drinks Industry Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Some bullish commentary and price targets (e.g., articles arguing KO can reach triple‑digits) add optimism to momentum traders. Bullish Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other outlets note increased investor attention and search interest in KO — higher visibility can amplify moves in either direction but is not direct fundamental news. Investor Attention Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola disclosed executive pay details ahead of the CEO transition — useful for governance-focused investors but unlikely to move fundamentals materially in the short term. Exec Pay Disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat ($0.58 vs. $0.56) but a slight revenue miss; management set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of ~3.21–3.24 — mixed operational data that supports the dividend case but tempers growth expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Benzinga warns KO’s value score has weakened after a ~15% YTD rally and highlights a tepid 2026 outlook, raising concerns that upside may be limited absent stronger top‑line momentum. Valuation/Outlook Warning

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total transaction of $26,046,230.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,410,296.60. This represents a 49.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CocaCola

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 367,441,971 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,996,519,000 after purchasing an additional 6,241,163 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its position in CocaCola by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 2,051,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $136,086,000 after buying an additional 57,407 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its stake in CocaCola by 1.9% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 10,408,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $690,311,000 after buying an additional 198,886 shares during the last quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 42.3% in the third quarter. Nicola Wealth Management LTD. now owns 185,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,269,000 after acquiring an additional 55,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 88.9% during the third quarter. Yeomans Consulting Group Inc. now owns 69,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,609,000 after acquiring an additional 32,478 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by 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.