John Murphy Sells 72,449 Shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total transaction of $5,833,593.48. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at $22,538,916.84. This trade represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

John Murphy also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 25th, John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of CocaCola stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total transaction of $7,996,723.54.

CocaCola Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $78.07 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $74.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.01. 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 Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $82.00. The company has a market cap of $335.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.35.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 41.31% and a net margin of 27.34%.CocaCola’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.11%.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KO. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 357 shares during the period. Marquette Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on KO. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $78.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $84.33.

CocaCola News Roundup

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.

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.