John Murphy Sells 72,449 Shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Stock

March 4, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 279,917 shares in the company, valued at approximately $22,538,916.84. This represents a 20.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

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John Murphy also recently made the following trade(s):

On Wednesday, February 25th, John Murphy sold 99,437 shares of CocaCola stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.42, for a total transaction of $7,996,723.54.

CocaCola Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $79.32 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $74.41 and a 200 day moving average of $70.96. CocaCola Company has a fifty-two week low of $65.35 and a fifty-two week high of $82.00. The company has a market capitalization of $341.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.36 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.46.

MarketBeat Week in Review – 02/23 - 02/27

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. The company's revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.55 EPS. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from CocaCola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola's payout ratio is 67.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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Several research firms have recently issued reports on KO. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $87.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays upped their target price on CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on CocaCola from $88.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $85.00 target price on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $84.33.

View Our Latest Report on KO

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 374,771,512 shares of the company's stock worth $26,200,276,000 after buying an additional 5,886,352 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of CocaCola by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 167,850,330 shares of the company's stock worth $11,734,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,992,327 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of CocaCola by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 89,984,203 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,273,037,000 after acquiring an additional 433,547 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in CocaCola in the 4th quarter valued at $3,865,807,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in CocaCola by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 40,289,857 shares of the company's stock worth $2,816,697,000 after acquiring an additional 1,195,581 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

Positive Sentiment: Major brokerages maintain a favorable view—KO was given a consensus "Buy" rating by brokerages, which supports investor confidence and may limit downside pressure. Brokerage Consensus
Positive Sentiment: KO continues to appear in dividend-focused lists (e.g., retirement/dividend growth roundups), reinforcing its reputation as a dependable income stock for yield-oriented investors and likely supporting long-term demand. Fool: Dividend Stocks
Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and sector screens highlight consumer staples (including KO) as potential earnings-beaters, offering a watchlist signal but not a direct catalyst. These articles may attract attention from dividend and defensive‑fund flows rather than trigger immediate price moves. Zacks: Consumer Staples
Neutral Sentiment: Articles revisiting Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio moves mention KO in the context of Buffett-era shifts; this is informational and can influence sentiment among value investors but is not a company-specific catalyst. MarketBeat: Berkshire Review
Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola FEMSA (KOF) proposed a 2026 ordinary dividend payable quarterly—positive for the Coca‑Cola system’s franchise/partner stability, but the direct impact on KO PLC’s stock is limited. TipRanks: KOF Dividend
Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on KO’s long dividend streak and a new investor‑relations chief frames a valuation debate—this keeps the stock in focus for income investors but may prolong volatility as market participants reassess fair value. Yahoo Finance: Dividend Streak & IR
Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: CFO John Murphy sold 72,449 shares (~$5.8M at ~\$80.52), reducing his holding by ~20.6%. Large insider sales can weigh on sentiment and are likely a key driver behind intraday weakness. SEC Form 4

CocaCola Company Profile

(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.