Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Grows Stake in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,531,737 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 346,084 shares during the quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned about 0.06% of CocaCola worth $167,905,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in CocaCola during the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,471,000. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 4.3% during the third quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 57,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,924,000 after buying an additional 2,355 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 2.2% during the third quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 803,391 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,281,000 after acquiring an additional 17,026 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its holdings in CocaCola by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 54,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,607,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lifted its position in CocaCola by 20.3% in the 3rd quarter. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC now owns 115,095 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,633,000 after acquiring an additional 19,436 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola Price Performance

NYSE KO opened at $80.48 on Friday. 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 Company has a 12 month low of $65.35 and a 12 month high of $81.09. The stock has a market cap of $346.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.36. The company’s 50 day moving average is $73.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.74.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The company’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 67.11%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total value of $26,046,230.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,410,296.60. This represents a 49.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

CocaCola News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KO. UBS Group boosted their price target on CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.33.

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.