CocaCola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 1.1% After Dividend Announcement

20 Feb 2026, 17:20 by Renee Jackson · The Cerbat Gem

CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) shares rose 1.1% during trading on Friday following a dividend announcement from the company. The stock traded as high as $79.84 and last traded at $79.7940. Approximately 17,068,494 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 13% from the average daily volume of 19,621,592 shares. The stock had previously closed at $78.91.

The newly announced dividend which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date 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%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on KO shares. Citigroup upped their price target on CocaCola from $85.00 to $87.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $84.33.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on CocaCola

CocaCola Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50-day moving average is $72.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $343.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.33 and a beta of 0.36.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $11.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $12.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola’s 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Key Headlines Impacting CocaCola

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

Positive Sentiment: Coca‑Cola raised its quarterly dividend to $0.53 (a ~3.9% increase), marking another year in its long dividend-growth streak — a tangible income boost that supports the stock’s appeal to yield-focused investors. Coca-Cola (KO) Raises Its Divided for a 64th Consecutive Year
Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat and management set FY‑2026 guidance (3.210–3.240 EPS), giving investors clarity on profits and supporting the stock’s upward move this session.
Positive Sentiment: Industry outlook: analysts highlight health-focused product innovation and digital growth as offsetting ingredient-cost pressure — a structural tailwind for Coca‑Cola’s revenue mix and margin recovery. 5 Soft Drinks Stocks Set to Gain as Innovation Offsets Cost Pressures
Neutral Sentiment: CFO/CEO succession activity: Coca‑Cola disclosed executive pay details ahead of an upcoming CEO transition (details on compensation and transition planning released). This is relevant for governance and continuity but isn’t an immediate earnings swing factor. Coca-Cola details executive pay ahead of CEO transition
Neutral Sentiment: Media and investor attention pieces (Zacks/Yahoo) are spotlighting KO as a heavily searched/security of interest — this can amplify flows but doesn’t change fundamentals immediately. CocaCola Company (The) (KO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
Neutral Sentiment: Long-term income narratives (Fool pieces) continue to pitch KO as a buy-and-hold dividend compounder — supports steady demand from income investors but less relevant for near-term price swings. Is Coca-Cola Still the Ultimate Dividend Stock to Buy Now and Hold Forever?
Negative Sentiment: Benzinga flagged a sharp drop in Coca‑Cola’s value score after a ~15% YTD run and cited a tepid 2026 outlook — this raises near-term valuation risk and could pressure the stock if growth expectations slip. Coca-Cola Loses Fizz As Value Score Drops After 15% YTD Surge, Tepid 2026 Outlook

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 337,824 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.10, for a total transaction of $26,046,230.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,410,296.60. This trade represents a 49.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On CocaCola

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of KO. Norges Bank bought a new position in CocaCola during the 4th quarter valued at $3,865,807,000. Cardano Risk Management B.V. lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 867.2% in the fourth quarter. Cardano Risk Management B.V. now owns 14,432,190 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,008,954,000 after buying an additional 12,939,959 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in CocaCola by 1,206.9% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 10,641,007 shares of the company’s stock valued at $743,913,000 after buying an additional 9,826,768 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in CocaCola by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 40,182,323 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,809,146,000 after acquiring an additional 9,078,447 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in CocaCola by 98.7% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 12,573,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $879,015,000 after acquiring an additional 6,246,627 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.