CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) Short Interest Update

31 Mar 2026, 00:08 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 53,713,859 shares, an increase of 23.7% from the February 26th total of 43,415,996 shares. Currently, 1.3% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 17,454,583 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

CocaCola Trading Up 0.8%

KO stock traded up $0.59 on Monday, reaching $76.30. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 18,414,387 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,558,328. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $76.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.92. The firm has a market cap of $328.39 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.35. CocaCola has a 12-month low of $65.35 and a 12-month high of $82.00.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.02. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The firm had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.55 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that CocaCola will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.74%.

Trending Headlines about CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its price target on KO to $86 and kept a Buy rating, implying notable upside from current levels — this upgrade supports further upside and buy‑side interest. Deutsche Bank raises KO target
Positive Sentiment: Jefferies reiterated a bullish stance, highlighting strength in Coca‑Cola’s protein business and broad analyst confidence (about 80% bullish coverage), which underpins multiple firms raising targets and positive sentiment. Jefferies bullish on KO
Positive Sentiment: Operational signal — Coca‑Cola is expanding Fairlife production capacity amid strong demand, a concrete indicator of volume growth and margin support in its higher‑margin protein/dairy portfolio. Coca‑Cola expands Fairlife capacity
Positive Sentiment: Market positioning: KO continues to be cited as a defensive pick amid rising recession worries and geopolitics, attracting flows into staples and dividend stocks that dampen volatility and support the share price. Zacks lists KO as defensive
Neutral Sentiment: Technicals: Analysts note KO has held key support after a controlled pullback and is showing momentum that could confirm a breakout if volume sustains — positive for short‑term continuation but dependent on follow‑through. FXEmpire technical note on KO
Neutral Sentiment: Mixed view: A recent article frames two reasons to watch KO and one caution — acknowledging strong outperformance YTD vs. the market but reminding investors of valuation/competitive dynamics to monitor. 2 Reasons to Watch KO
Neutral Sentiment: Investor comparison: Coverage comparing PepsiCo and Coca‑Cola highlights KO’s asset‑light beverage model and stronger margins — useful context for dividend/income investors but not an immediate catalyst. PepsiCo vs Coca‑Cola dividend comparison

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Barclays raised their price target on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $83.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $84.80.

Read Our Latest Report on CocaCola

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.52, for a total value of $5,833,593.48. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. The trade was a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 250,688 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.14, for a total value of $19,839,448.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 278,155 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $22,013,186.70. This trade represents a 47.40% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 892,925 shares of company stock valued at $70,254,796 over the last three months. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Anfield Capital Management LLC lifted its position in CocaCola by 438.8% during the 4th quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC now owns 361 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 294 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of CocaCola during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Evolution Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 1,081.8% in the 4th quarter. Evolution Wealth Management Inc. now owns 390 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 357 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

About CocaCola

(Get Free Report)

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.