Coca-Cola Company (The) $KO Stock: Heritage Investors Management Corp Trims Stake

Heritage Investors Management Corp lowered its stake in Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 244,767 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,716 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $21,070,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Banco Santander S.A. lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.1% in the second quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,646,000 after purchasing an additional 32,723 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 402.3% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 163,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,052,000 after buying an additional 130,746 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 68.5% during the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 218,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,733,000 after buying an additional 88,690 shares during the last quarter. Moore Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $12,905,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 2,091.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 361,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,414,000 after acquiring an additional 345,417 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

NYSE KO opened at $94.11 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $404.85 billion, a PE ratio of 27.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 0.28. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $89.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $82.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.38. Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $67.27 and a 52-week high of $95.37.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.65% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The business had revenue of $13.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.82 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total value of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,186,798.70. The trade was a 18.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total transaction of $861,367.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,372,082.50. The trade was a 13.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 171,323 shares of company stock worth $15,507,286. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on KO. UBS Group upped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $104.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $93.00 price target (up from $83.00) on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $97.26.

Trending Headlines about Coca-Cola

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Better-than-expected earnings and higher guidance: Coca-Cola’s third-quarter results exceeded Wall Street expectations, supported by 5% unit case-volume growth, consumer recruitment, affordability initiatives, and disciplined execution. Management now expects comparable EPS to increase at least 11% in 2026. Coca-Cola’s Q3 earnings call: our top 5 analyst questions
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst optimism is reinforcing the rally: TD Cowen, JPMorgan, Citigroup, and Freedom Broker all recently raised their Coca-Cola price targets or indicated potential appreciation. Jim Cramer also recommended buying KO after the earnings beat. Coca-Cola stock gets price target boost from JPMorgan Chase
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive dividend appeal: Coca-Cola continues to be highlighted as a dependable “Dividend King,” with a long record of annual payout increases and strong brand durability—features attracting income investors amid broader market uncertainty. No Tricks, Just Treats: 3 Dividend Stocks With Payouts You Can Trust
• Positive Sentiment: Long-term emerging-market opportunity: Coca-Cola’s distribution network and local brands provide room for growth in developing markets, where a large share of beverage purchases remains untapped. The company is also considering a 2027 IPO for its Indian bottling arm, potentially creating capital and valuation benefits. Too Late to Buy Coca-Cola? 1 Reason It Isn’t.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands.

The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.