CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Hits New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as high as $94.22 and last traded at $93.7340, with a volume of 401,160 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $92.68.

More CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong historical momentum supports the rally. Coca-Cola has gained approximately 33% in 2026, its best calendar-year performance since 1996. Historical analysis cited by the article found that the stock rose again in 10 of the 11 years following a gain of at least 30%, suggesting the rally has not automatically been a sell signal. Coca-Cola Stock Is Having Its Best Year Since 1996
• Positive Sentiment: KFC’s planned switch to Coca-Cola products is a potential volume catalyst. KFC expects to replace PepsiCo beverages with Coca-Cola drinks at U.S. restaurants beginning in January, adding a prominent customer and possible incremental sales. KFC Swaps Pepsi for Coca-Cola
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and income investors remain supportive. Wells Fargo and UBS maintained Buy ratings, while Coca-Cola’s decades-long dividend-growth record continues to attract investors seeking defensive income amid elevated interest rates. Wells Fargo Maintains Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on the Oct. 27 earnings report. Recent coverage highlights improving beverage volumes and global execution, but the upcoming results and 2026 guidance will determine whether current expectations are justified. Coca-Cola Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation is the principal risk. At about 28 times earnings and near its 52-week high, KO may need another earnings beat or stronger guidance to sustain gains. Commentary also questions whether a roughly 35% annual advance has already priced in much of the company’s defensive and dividend appeal. Coca-Cola Is Up 35% This Year

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on CocaCola from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 5th. Daiwa Securities Group upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $95.00 target price (up from $88.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.27.

CocaCola Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $403.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.20, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.32. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $88.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $83.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 28.56% and a return on equity of 39.38%. CocaCola’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS. Equities analysts expect that CocaCola Company will post 3.30 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is 63.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total value of $10,126,419.45. Following the sale, the insider owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,319.45. The trade was a 72.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at $24,439,553.27. This trade represents a 35.26% 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. Insiders sold a total of 926,620 shares of company stock valued at $83,075,714 over the last quarter. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $88,646,000 after buying an additional 32,723 shares during the period. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in CocaCola by 68.5% during the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 218,199 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,733,000 after acquiring an additional 88,690 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 402.3% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 163,248 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,052,000 after acquiring an additional 130,746 shares in the last quarter. Moore Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the second quarter worth $12,905,000. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its position in CocaCola by 2,091.3% in the second quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 361,934 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,414,000 after purchasing an additional 345,417 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

About CocaCola

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.