CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading Down 1.6% on Insider Selling

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO)’s stock price fell 1.6% during trading on Wednesday after an insider sold shares in the company. The company traded as low as $77.75 and last traded at $78.07. 19,367,964 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 1% from the average session volume of 19,475,648 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.34.

Specifically, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total value of $5,833,593.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at $22,538,916.84. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.16, for a total transaction of $1,603,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 57,532 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,611,765.12. This trade represents a 25.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total value of $7,996,723.54. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 410,550 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,016,431. The trade was a 19.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $82.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, CocaCola has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.33.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Major brokerages maintain a favorable stance on KO, with a consensus “Buy” helping underpin investor confidence and limiting downside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: KO continues to be featured in dividend‑focused lists and “Dividend Kings” roundups, reinforcing demand from income and retirement investors. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola FEMSA proposed a quarterly dividend schedule for 2026 — positive for the system’s franchise stability but only indirectly relevant to KO PLC’s share price. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage notes KO’s long dividend streak and a new IR chief, fueling a valuation debate that keeps the stock on income investors’ watchlists but doesn’t act as an immediate catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares (~$5.8M at ~$80.52), trimming his holding ~20% — a tangible negative that often pressures sentiment and likely contributed to intraday weakness. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Reports show multiple senior executives unloading stock, amplifying investor concern about insider conviction and near‑term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/commentary pieces flag weaknesses in earnings quality and question the company’s decentralization plan and its implications for dividend/risk profile — these raise longer‑term execution concerns. Read More. Read More.

CocaCola Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The company has a market capitalization of $335.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $74.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $71.01.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CocaCola

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AG Campbell Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola during the 4th quarter worth $87,000. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 47.1% in the 4th quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 14,384 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,006,000 after purchasing an additional 4,608 shares during the last quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Rehmann Capital Advisory Group now owns 34,051 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,381,000 after purchasing an additional 2,370 shares during the period. SHP Wealth Management bought a new stake in CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at about $415,000. Finally, Stenger Family Office LLC lifted its stake in CocaCola by 162.7% in the fourth quarter. Stenger Family Office LLC now owns 37,427 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,617,000 after buying an additional 23,181 shares during the period. 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.