The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Reduces Position in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 4.8% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,072,126 shares of the company’s stock after selling 104,779 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $168,402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Louisbourg Investments Inc. bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the fourth quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Partners Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Bard Associates Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CocaCola News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised earnings estimates: Zacks Research increased its Q3 2026 EPS forecast to $0.87 from $0.86 and lifted its FY2027 forecast to $3.52 from $3.51. The current full-year consensus remains $3.29, reinforcing expectations for steady earnings growth. Zacks Coca-Cola earnings estimate updates
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reliability continues to attract income investors: Coca-Cola has raised its dividend for 64 consecutive years, making its payout record a major part of the stock’s appeal, particularly for retirees and defensive investors. Coca-Cola 64-year dividend increase article
• Positive Sentiment: Buffett-related investor confidence: Coca-Cola remains one of the consumer brands associated with Warren Buffett’s concentrated Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, potentially supporting its image as a durable, long-term holding. Warren Buffett portfolio article
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s industry presentation provided additional visibility: Coca-Cola presented at Barclays’ Global Consumer Staples Conference, but the available transcript headline does not identify a major new catalyst or material change to its outlook. Coca-Cola Barclays conference transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive dividend comparisons remain relevant: Commentary favoring Coca-Cola over PepsiCo highlights KO’s defensive qualities, but PepsiCo’s roughly 4% dividend yield could appeal to income investors seeking a higher current payout. Pepsi versus Coca-Cola stock comparison
• Negative Sentiment: Outperformance may be difficult to repeat: Coca-Cola has outperformed major technology stocks in 2026, but some factors behind its improved results could normalize in coming quarters. With KO trading at about 27 times earnings, investors may be vulnerable to slower growth or weaker-than-expected trends. Coca-Cola versus Magnificent Seven performance article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on KO shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Seaport Research Partners set a $95.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Argus raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $93.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.76.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total transaction of $10,126,419.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,319.45. This trade represents a 72.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Stock Up 0.3%

KO stock opened at $87.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $377.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.34. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $65.35 and a 12 month high of $92.49. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $86.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.66%.

CocaCola Profile

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company best known for its Coca-Cola soft drink, which was first introduced in 1886. The company was incorporated in 1892 and has grown into one of the world’s largest beverage businesses.

Its portfolio includes sparkling soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite and Fanta, along with water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice and dairy-based beverages. Other brands associated with the company include Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Costa Coffee, fairlife and Topo Chico.

The Coca-Cola Company primarily develops, owns and markets beverage brands, while relying on a global network of independent bottling partners and distributors to manufacture, package and deliver many of its products.