Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 195,962 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,675 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $13,700,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 438.8% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Daytona Street Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $80.28 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $345.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $76.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.10. CocaCola Company has a twelve month low of $65.35 and a twelve month high of $82.00.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The company reported $0.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $12.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.24 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 40.55% and a net margin of 27.80%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 11.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.73 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.240-3.270 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 15th will be paid a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 15th. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 66.67%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $85.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Truist Financial set a $85.00 price objective on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price objective on CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $85.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $86.27.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s push into energy drinks and functional beverages is being viewed as a potential growth catalyst, with new flavors, lower-sugar options, and its Monster partnership helping the company target faster-growing categories beyond traditional soft drinks.
• Positive Sentiment: The company recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting stronger-than-expected EPS and revenue along with 11.4% year-over-year revenue growth, which supports the case for solid underlying business momentum.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with several firms raising price targets and the consensus rating still at Buy, suggesting Wall Street sees room for further upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, reinforcing its appeal as a defensive income stock for long-term investors.
• Negative Sentiment: Recent insider selling by Chairman James Quincey, including a 200,000-share sale, may create some investor caution, even though insider sales do not necessarily signal weakening fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: A Diet Coke shortage in parts of India, linked to aluminum can supply constraints and broader geopolitical disruptions, highlights operational and supply-chain risks that could pressure near-term sales in certain markets.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CocaCola news, CFO John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of the company’s 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 $33,016,431. This represents a 19.50% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 755,101 shares of company stock worth $59,988,566. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.