New York, Feb 23, 2026, 15:45 EST — Regular session
- Coca-Cola shares rose about 1.3% and hit a session high late Monday, bucking a broad U.S. stock selloff.
- Argus lifted its price target on the stock to $89, while Coca-Cola’s fresh dividend increase stayed in focus.
- Investors are watching the March 13 record date for the next dividend and the March 31 CEO transition.
Coca-Cola (KO.N) shares climbed about 1.3% to $80.84 in late afternoon trading, notching a session high while the wider market stayed under pressure. Reuters
The move matters now because investors have been rotating toward consumer-staples names as a defensive trade, and Coca-Cola has a pair of shareholder-friendly headlines sitting right in front of the calendar: a higher dividend and a CEO changeover.
It also matters because the stock is trading near recent highs. When the tape gets choppy, traders often crowd into predictable cash returns and big brands, at least for a few sessions.
U.S. stocks were sharply lower on renewed tariff uncertainty, but consumer staples were among the best-performing corners of the S&P 500, according to Reuters. “Obviously, the extra layer of uncertainty … isn’t helping,” Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird, said of the broader risk-off mood. Reuters
Coca-Cola last week raised its quarterly dividend by about 4% to 53 cents a share, and said the first-quarter payout is due April 1 to shareholders of record on March 13. That “record date” is the cutoff — buyers after it won’t get the April payment. Coca Colacompany
In the same announcement, the company said Todd Beiger will become vice president and head of investor relations on March 31, replacing Robin Halpern.
A separate filing showed Coca-Cola has also put the pay framework around its leadership handover. Incoming CEO Henrique Braun will have a base salary of $1.45 million effective March 31, while James Quincey will earn a $1.2 million base salary as executive chairman, the filing said. Coca Colacompany
On Monday, Argus raised its price target on Coca-Cola to $89 from $84 and kept a “buy” rating, according to MT Newswires. Marketscreener
Coca-Cola’s beverage peers also traded higher. PepsiCo shares were up about 2.2%, while Keurig Dr Pepper gained about 1.7%, as the consumer-staples group broadly outperformed.
But the setup is not one-way. If tariff headlines keep swinging and risk appetite keeps draining out of equities, even “defensive” names can get sold to meet redemptions, and a strong dollar can still bite into overseas earnings when companies report.
Investors’ next clear markers are close on the calendar: March 13 as the record date for the April 1 dividend payment, and March 31 for Braun’s move into the CEO seat.
