KO COCA COLA CO

Price Chart

Executive Summary

Bernstein initiated coverage on Coca-Cola (KO) at Market Perform with a $84 price target on June 12, 2026. The target sits below the consensus mean of $85.97 and median of $88, reflecting a neutral stance against a heavily bullish Street — 28 of 34 analysts rate Buy or Strong Buy, with only 6 at Hold and none bearish. Bernstein's 51% accuracy on 497 calls trails top firms like Wells Fargo (86%) and JP Morgan (83%). The current price of $82.53 offers just 1.8% upside to Bernstein's target versus 4.2% to the mean. Earnings estimates for the current quarter saw 13 downward revisions in 30 days, but full-year FY0 estimates were revised up 20 times with zero downs. Large insider selling surfaced last week: CEO James Quincey sold $35.6M and EVP Jennifer Mann sold $12M. Meanwhile, Capital Research Global Investors added an 84.8% position worth $2.24B and Soros Fund opened a new $11.5M stake. Short interest stands at 57.9% of float. The neutral initiation from a below-average-accuracy firm does little to alter the prevailing bullish consensus, though the sheer volume of insider sales warrants caution.

Impact Score

Consensus & Targets

Of 34 analysts covering KO, 8 have Strong Buy, 20 have Buy, and 6 have Hold — a 82% Buy-side ratio. Zero Sell or Strong Sell ratings. The consensus is firmly bullish, with Bernstein's Market Perform aligning with the minority hold camp.

Consensus targets: mean $85.97, median $88, high $92, low $71.38. Current price $82.53 implies 4.2% upside to the mean. Bernstein's $84 target is 2.8% above current price but sits below the mean and median, making it one of the more conservative targets.

Recent Analyst Activity

Over the past 30 days, KO has seen 1 upgrade and 0 downgrades. EPS revisions are mixed: the current quarter (0q) saw 13 downgrades vs 2 upgrades, but the current fiscal year (0y) saw 20 upgrades vs 0 downgrades and next year (+1y) had 17 upgrades vs 3 downgrades. The net revision trend is positive for the longer term, but near-term headwinds persist.

Firm Track Record — Bernstein

Bernstein accuracy: 51% on 497 calls | avg return: 3.3%

Industry benchmark: mean 51% ± 11%. Top tier: ≥61% (mean + 1σ). Based on 12 firms with ≥5 scored calls.

Bernstein has a 51% accuracy rate on 497 scored calls with an average return of 3.3%. This places them below top-tier peers such as BofA, Deutsche Bank, Evercore, Piper Sandler, and TD Cowen (all 100% but on 2–4 calls each), as well as Wells Fargo (86% on 7 calls) and JP Morgan (83% on 6 calls). Bernstein's accuracy is below the average of firms covering KO.

Earnings Estimates

Next earnings: Jul 20, 2026

Cross-Platform Signals

Insider trading shows significant bearish divergence: CEO James Quincey sold $35.6M on June 5 and $640K on June 4; EVP Jennifer Mann sold $15.2M in three trades between June 5–9. These are large, clustered sales. Congressional activity is mildly bullish (two Democrat buys totaling up to $65K). Institutional moves are mixed: Capital Research Global Investors added 84.8% ($2.24B), Soros Fund opened a $11.5M position, but Norges Bank exited entirely and Lindsell Train trimmed 29.4%. Short interest is elevated at 57.9% of float, indicating bearish sentiment among short sellers.

Documents Analyzed

Report based on filing metadata.

US Market Status