Zacks Research Comments on Coca-Cola’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:KO)

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) – Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for shares of Coca-Cola in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, February 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Lohia now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.72 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.75. The consensus estimate for Coca-Cola’s current full-year earnings is $2.96 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Coca-Cola’s Q2 2025 earnings at $0.84 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.60 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.85 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.65 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $3.18 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $3.46 EPS.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on KO. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. DZ Bank raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $70.80 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $304.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $64.19 and its 200 day moving average is $66.47. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Coca-Cola has a 1-year low of $57.93 and a 1-year high of $73.53.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $3,402,151,000. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 96.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,949,194 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,553,337,000 after acquiring an additional 12,222,885 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,163,187 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,617,400,000 after acquiring an additional 11,569,920 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 92,961,376 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,680,205,000 after acquiring an additional 11,206,995 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $500,192,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

The Coca-Cola Company, a beverage company, manufactures, markets, and sells various nonalcoholic beverages worldwide. The company provides sparkling soft drinks, sparkling flavors; water, sports, coffee, and tea; juice, value-added dairy, and plant-based beverages; and other beverages. It also offers beverage concentrates and syrups, as well as fountain syrups to fountain retailers, such as restaurants and convenience stores.