Merit Financial Group LLC Raises Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 353,665 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,131 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $28,742,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Louisbourg Investments Inc. purchased a new position in CocaCola during the first quarter worth $25,000. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 438.8% in the fourth quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ankerstar Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in CocaCola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total transaction of $861,367.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,082.50. This trade represents a 13.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jennifer K. Mann sold 100,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.46, for a total transaction of $7,946,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 181,384 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,412,772.64. The trade was a 35.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 1,433,535 shares of company stock worth $121,922,698 in the last ninety days. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

CocaCola Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $87.57 on Friday. CocaCola Company has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $90.92. The company has a market cap of $376.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $83.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $79.75.

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

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 15th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 63.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on KO. Barclays raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on CocaCola from $90.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of CocaCola from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, CocaCola has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.76.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings underpin investor confidence: Coca-Cola’s latest quarter exceeded expectations, with EPS of $0.97 versus the $0.93 consensus and revenue of $13.37 billion versus $13.17 billion expected. Revenue increased 6.2% year over year, while full-year 2026 guidance remains $3.27–$3.30 in EPS. The debates that matter for KO stock
• Positive Sentiment: Profit estimates are moving higher: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $3.29 from $3.26, FY2027 to $3.51 from $3.47 and FY2028 to $3.74 from $3.71. Several quarterly estimates were also increased, suggesting analysts see continued earnings momentum. Coca-Cola analyst estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Defensive and dividend characteristics remain attractive: Coca-Cola’s globally recognized brands, approximately 2.4% dividend yield and long dividend-growth record make KO appealing to income-oriented investors seeking stability while markets become less certain. Its long-standing Berkshire Hathaway holding also reinforces the stock’s “buy and hold” reputation. Warren Buffett stocks to buy and hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are monitoring consumer pressure: Articles focus on gasoline prices, inflation data and their potential effect on household spending. Coca-Cola’s affordable beverage portfolio may prove relatively resilient, although sustained cost-of-living pressure could affect volumes or product mix. Coca-Cola and gasoline prices
• Neutral Sentiment: International bottler updates have limited direct impact: Coca-Cola ?çecek’s disclosures about its regional bottling network and debt redemption relate primarily to the separate bottler, COLZF, rather than directly to KO. Coca-Cola Icecek bottling network
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation creates downside risk: After its recent rally, KO trades near 26 times earnings. Analysts are debating whether the premium is justified by Coca-Cola’s growth and margin performance, leaving less room for disappointment. Coca-Cola valuation analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling may weigh modestly on sentiment: Insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares for about $861,000, reducing his direct holding by 13.8%. The transaction is not necessarily a fundamental warning, but it could attract attention at elevated share-price levels. Coca-Cola insider sale

About CocaCola

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.