CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Down 1.5% on Insider Selling

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO)’s stock price fell 1.5% during mid-day trading on Thursday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $76.50 and last traded at $76.96. 21,781,590 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 12% from the average session volume of 19,384,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.10.

Specifically, EVP Nancy Quan sold 23,556 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.50, for a total transaction of $1,872,702.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,754,735. This trade represents a 9.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In other CocaCola news, CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.14, for a total transaction of $19,839,448.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 278,155 shares in the company, valued at $22,013,186.70. This represents a 47.40% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KO. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised 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. One investment 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, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.33.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management is accelerating a digital transformation across marketing, supply‑chain and analytics aimed at driving long‑term efficiency and margin expansion — a clear fundamental tailwind if execution stays on track. Is Coca-Cola’s Digital Transformation a Catalyst for Margin Expansion?
• Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola recently raised its quarterly dividend (supporting yield investor demand) and remains a long‑standing dividend stalwart — this helps steady demand from income‑oriented funds. Valuation Check After Another Dividend Raise For Income Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Major brokerages continue to favor KO (consensus “Buy” with several target raises), which supports medium‑term investor confidence and limits downside.
• Neutral Sentiment: KO has been a trending topic on screens and in sector roundups (Zacks/Yahoo); this can bring short‑term attention and flows but is not a direct company catalyst. KO Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know
• Neutral Sentiment: Large institutional holders remain heavily invested (Vanguard, State Street, etc.), which roughly stabilizes share ownership over time but doesn’t remove near‑term volatility. KO Institutional Ownership
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling on March 2–3: CEO James Quincey (250,688 shares), CFO John Murphy (72,449 shares) and other senior execs trimmed holdings — large, clustered sales have likely driven short‑term selling pressure and negative sentiment. SEC Form 4 (Quincey) SEC Form 4 (Murphy)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst/coverage pieces raising questions about earnings quality and reporting nuances add to caution among value‑oriented traders and may deepen short‑term weakness. Seeking Alpha: Earnings Quality Still Not Great

CocaCola Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $330.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.32, a PEG ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.05.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. CocaCola’s payout ratio is presently 67.11%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,200,276,000 after purchasing an additional 5,886,352 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in CocaCola by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,734,417,000 after buying an additional 1,992,327 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,273,037,000 after buying an additional 433,547 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the 4th quarter worth about $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,816,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,581 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.