CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Trading 1.9% Higher – Here’s Why

21 Jan 2026, 00:57 by Sarita Garza · The Markets Daily

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report)’s stock price rose 1.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $71.78 and last traded at $71.76. Approximately 21,660,363 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 15% from the average daily volume of 18,854,258 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.44.

Key Stories Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

Positive Sentiment: Barclays reaffirmed its buy rating on KO, which supports demand from income and growth investors and likely helped lift the stock as analysts reiterated conviction in the name. Barclays Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Coca‑Cola (KO)
Positive Sentiment: Multiple outlets continue to highlight KO as a top dividend name (Dividend King/Dividends lists), supporting interest from yield-focused investors and long‑term holders. The Dogs of the Dow: 10 Downtrodden Dividends Paying Out Up to 6.8%
Neutral Sentiment: Market note: a Zacks recap framed KO’s move as part of a broader market dip where defensive, dividend names outperformed—this is more a short‑term flow story than new company fundamentals. Coca‑Cola (KO) Rises As Market Takes a Dip: Key Facts
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/strategy debate: coverage notes Coca‑Cola’s “premiumization” push — trading up higher‑margin premium SKUs against potential volume risk. This is strategic for margin upside but could pressure unit volumes if misexecuted. Coca‑Cola’s Premiumization Push: Growth Engine or Volume Risk?
Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion: DCF/valuation pieces show divergent views on upside — some investors may be pausing new buys pending clearer earnings/cash‑flow trajectory. Coca‑Cola (KO) Valuation Check As DCF Views Diverge On Future Upside Potential
Negative Sentiment: Corporate action setback: Financial Times reporting summarized by other outlets says Coca‑Cola has dropped plans to sell Costa Coffee after private‑equity bids came in below expectations — that removes a near‑term divestiture that could have generated proceeds and simplified the portfolio. The market may view this as missed monetization and a neutral/negative for near‑term cash deployment. Coca‑Cola (KO) Drops Costa Sale Plans After Bids Fall Short, FT Reports

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KO shares. Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $75.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $75.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on CocaCola from $80.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $79.08.

View Our Latest Stock Report on KO

CocaCola Price Performance

The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $69.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market cap of $308.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.39.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $12.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.46 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 43.62%. The company’s revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Manuel Arroyo sold 139,689 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.80, for a total transaction of $9,889,981.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 58,067 shares in the company, valued at $4,111,143.60. The trade was a 70.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Max R. Levchin purchased 7,206 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $69.87 per share, with a total value of $503,483.22. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 14,267 shares in the company, valued at $996,835.29. This represents a 102.05% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 225,252 shares of company stock worth $15,953,007. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CocaCola

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of CocaCola by 5,142.9% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 367 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in CocaCola in the second quarter worth $26,000. Marquette Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Cloud Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of CocaCola during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.