Zacks Research Brokers Lift Earnings Estimates for CocaCola

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) – Analysts at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of CocaCola in a research report issued on Tuesday, September 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the company will earn $0.87 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.86. The consensus estimate for CocaCola’s current full-year earnings is $3.29 per share.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $13.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.17 billion. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%.The business’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.87 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.270-3.300 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on KO. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on CocaCola from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Seaport Research Partners set a $95.00 price objective on CocaCola in a report on Friday, August 14th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of CocaCola from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.76.

CocaCola Stock Performance

CocaCola stock opened at $87.53 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $376.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.28, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.34. 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 has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $92.49.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total transaction of $4,519,500.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $20,186,798.70. This trade represents a 18.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total transaction of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. The trade was 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. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KO. Eurizon SLJ Capital Ltd bought a new position in CocaCola in the fourth quarter valued at $552,000. Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,646,000 after buying an additional 32,723 shares during the last quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 3,852,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $269,330,000 after acquiring an additional 31,694 shares in the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 68.5% in the second quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 218,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,733,000 after acquiring an additional 88,690 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of CocaCola by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,759,546 shares of the company’s stock valued at $123,010,000 after acquiring an additional 79,946 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Higher FY2027 earnings estimate: Zacks Research raised its forecast for Coca-Cola’s fiscal 2027 earnings to $3.52 per share from $3.51. Although the increase is modest, it reinforces expectations for continued earnings growth beyond the company’s current-year consensus estimate of $3.29. Zacks Research raises Coca-Cola FY2027 earnings estimate
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend durability supports the defensive case: Coca-Cola has reportedly increased its dividend for 64 consecutive years, strengthening its appeal to income-oriented investors. Its established brands, pricing power and global distribution also position the company as a potential hedge against inflation and a weaker dollar. Coca-Cola’s 64-year dividend increase Coca-Cola as a pricing-power stock
• Positive Sentiment: Management investor presentation: Coca-Cola presented at Barclays’ Global Consumer Staples Conference, giving investors an updated view of strategy and operating priorities. The supplied report does not identify a new guidance change or specific catalyst. Coca-Cola Barclays conference transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Premiumization strategy: Coca-Cola is using pricing, packaging variety and brand strength to sell higher-value products while retaining affordable options. The approach could lift revenue and margins, but investors will monitor whether higher prices weaken demand. Coca-Cola’s premiumization strategy
• Neutral Sentiment: Competitive and historical coverage: Articles comparing Coca-Cola with PepsiCo highlight ongoing competition for consumer spending and dividend investors. A report on former executive Brian Dyson’s death is historical and is unlikely to affect current fundamentals. Pepsi versus Coca-Cola comparison Brian Dyson obituary

CocaCola Company 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.