JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuts CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Price Target to $95.00

by · The Markets Daily

CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Free Report) had its target price lowered by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $96.00 to $95.00 in a report issued on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Argus upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $93.00 price objective (up from $83.00) on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Piper Sandler restated 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. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of CocaCola from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.18.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on CocaCola

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of KO stock opened at $86.25 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $87.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.32. CocaCola has a 52-week low of $65.84 and a 52-week high of $92.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $371.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.90, a P/E/G ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 0.34.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.87 EPS. CocaCola’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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that CocaCola will post 3.29 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, October 1st. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 63.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO John Murphy sold 152,483 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $87.31, for a total value of $13,313,290.73. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 279,917 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,439,553.27. This represents a 35.26% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total transaction of $10,126,419.45. Following the transaction, the insider owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,319.45. This represents a 72.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 926,620 shares of company stock worth $83,075,714. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Banco Santander S.A. grew its holdings in CocaCola by 3.1% in the second quarter. Banco Santander S.A. now owns 1,090,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $88,646,000 after purchasing an additional 32,723 shares during the last quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 68.5% during the 2nd quarter. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC now owns 218,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,733,000 after purchasing an additional 88,690 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its position in shares of CocaCola by 4.8% in the 4th quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 1,759,546 shares of the company’s stock worth $123,010,000 after purchasing an additional 79,946 shares in the last quarter. Moore Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 2nd quarter worth $12,905,000. Finally, DB&C Advisors LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola during the 4th quarter worth $878,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

  • Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola has beaten earnings estimates for five consecutive quarters and raised its guidance, supporting confidence in its operating performance. The company’s global scale, broad beverage portfolio and improving margins also compare favorably with some competitors. Coca-Cola’s Secret Weapon Isn’t Its Soda
  • Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan reiterated its Buy rating, while multiple articles highlighted KO as a defensive Dividend King with a long record of reliable dividend increases. That profile may attract investors amid inflation worries, weaker consumer sentiment and renewed interest-rate concerns. CocaCola’s Buy Rating Reiterated at JPMorgan Chase
  • Positive Sentiment: The appointment of Monster Beverage’s Americas CEO to lead Coca-Cola’s North American business could provide fresh leadership and beverage-industry expertise in a key operating region. Coca-Cola Hired Monster’s Americas CEO
  • Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention is increasing ahead of Coca-Cola’s next earnings report. The results and management commentary will be important for confirming whether recent earnings beats, guidance improvements and margin gains can continue. What to Expect From Coca-Cola’s Next Earnings Report
  • Negative Sentiment: Valuation is a concern: one analysis cited a price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of about 71, while another noted KO has lagged the broader S&P 500 since March despite strong year-to-date gains. A pending IRS ruling also adds uncertainty. 2 Reasons to Watch KO and 1 to Stay Cautious

CocaCola Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Its portfolio includes sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and other ready-to-drink products. The company’s best-known brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, Powerade, Minute Maid, fairlife, and Georgia Coffee.

Founded in 1886, the company develops, owns, licenses, markets, and distributes beverage brands through a network of bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service operators.

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