New York, February 21, 2026, 10:45 EST — Market closed
- Coca-Cola ended Friday’s session up 1.18%, beating both PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper.
- The company bumped its quarterly dividend up to 53 cents, with March 13 locked in as the record date.
- Fresh SEC filings released pay terms tied to the March 31 CEO handoff, along with newly updated annual disclosures.
Coca-Cola shares climbed 1.18% Friday to $79.84, according to market data, moving with the broader U.S. rally and sitting roughly 0.7% under the stock’s 52-week peak. PepsiCo edged up 0.21%, while Keurig Dr Pepper added 0.48%. (MarketWatch)
U.S. markets are closed for the weekend, but Coca-Cola is lining up Monday with a usual mix: cash returns, moves in the C-suite, and disclosures that could tweak expectations. These sorts of developments often swing more weight when investors weigh how defensive they want to be for the next stretch.
Coca-Cola on Thursday announced a roughly 4% bump to its quarterly dividend, moving it up to 53 cents a share—marking 64 straight years of increases. The company said the dividend for the first quarter will be paid out April 1 to shareholders who are on record by March 13. In 2025, Coca-Cola reported returning $8.8 billion to investors through dividends. (The Coca-Cola Company)
The company outlined compensation details in a separate filing related to the CEO transition coming March 31. Henrique Braun steps in as chief executive on that date, with James Quincey staying on as executive chairman. Braun’s base salary is set at $1.45 million, according to the filing, while Quincey will draw $1.2 million. (SEC)
Coca-Cola disclosed in its latest Form 10-K that it bought back 9.4 million shares during 2025, spending $634 million as part of its 2019 repurchase plan, which allows for up to 150 million shares. (SEC)
Coca-Cola’s latest 10-K makes clear just how much of its business happens beyond U.S. borders—and how actively it tries to hedge those overseas earnings. For 2025, the company reported $28.8 billion in net operating revenue from international operations. As of Dec. 31, 2025, Coca-Cola’s foreign-currency derivatives carried a notional value of $21.128 billion. (The Coca-Cola Company)
Braun steps in at the end of March and he’s made his priorities clear to investors: pick up the tempo. “We need to get closer to the consumer and improve our speed to market,” he said earlier this month. (Reuters)
But this isn’t a one-way street. Coca-Cola’s earnings remain sensitive to shifts in foreign exchange, swings in commodity prices, and just how much longer shoppers are willing to tolerate higher prices—particularly if overall demand starts to weaken.
Traders this week are zeroing in on U.S. consumer sentiment, looking for signs of a pullback in spending. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence data lands Tuesday. (CME Group)
Investors watching inflation will be eyeing Friday’s U.S. producer price index for January, a key data point. The release could sway rate bets and stir demand for defensive staples. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Coca-Cola investors now have their eyes on two upcoming corporate milestones: March 13 serves as the key date for the increased dividend, with leadership changes arriving March 31.
