Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Increases Stock Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 341,013 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,470 shares during the period. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $23,840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in CocaCola by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 368,885,160 shares of the company’s stock valued at $24,464,464,000 after purchasing an additional 1,443,189 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 165,858,003 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,083,296,000 after purchasing an additional 923,278 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 15.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,592,732,000 after buying an additional 5,135,198 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 2.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 28,051,787 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,860,395,000 after buying an additional 770,235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in CocaCola by 5.5% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 26,721,843 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,772,193,000 after buying an additional 1,393,760 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Defensive‑sector tailwind: analysis highlights consumer staples like KO outperforming as recession odds rise, supporting demand for KO’s steady dividends and low beta. As Recession Odds Climb, Defensive Sectors Continue to Outperform (KO)
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend credibility: Coca‑Cola is featured among “safest dividend aristocrats,” reinforcing appeal to income investors who value the company’s long dividend growth record. The 5 Safest Dividend Aristocrats Are Perfect For Retirees Needing Growth & Income
• Positive Sentiment: Brand/marketing initiative: Coke Florida rolled out limited‑edition America250 cans — a consumer/PR boost that can help share gains in local markets and supports brand engagement. Coca‑Cola Beverages Florida Unveils America250 Commemorative Cans
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/coverage attention: pieces from Zacks and Yahoo revisit KO’s valuation and status as a trending stock — they raise investor awareness but offer mixed signals on near‑term upside. Is Trending Stock CocaCola Company (The) (KO) a Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Market‑wide commentary: a Motley Fool piece on buying blue‑chip weakness notes broad market softness; such macro pressure can create buying opportunities but doesn’t single out KO materially. Two Blue Chip Stocks I’d Buy Into This Week’s Weakne
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend sustainability concern: coverage questions whether the recent $0.53 quarterly dividend increase is fully supported by earnings and cash flow, raising the risk that higher payout expectations pressure valuation if growth slows. Investors focused on payout ratios and free cash flow should dig into the company’s guidance and capital allocation plans. Is Coca‑Cola Paying More in Dividends Than It Can Afford?

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total value of $26,046,230.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 342,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,410,296.60. The trade was a 49.65% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total transaction of $2,284,228.65. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.80.

CocaCola Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of KO stock opened at $76.68 on Friday. 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 moving average price of $77.30 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $72.22. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $82.00. The firm has a market cap of $330.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion for 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%.The company’s revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 13th. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.74%.

CocaCola 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.