Coca-Cola (KO) Stock on November 30, 2025: Dividend Deadline, Buffett Backing and New Price Forecasts

As November closes, Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) heads into December trading near its highs for the year, with a fresh dividend cutoff, strong third-quarter earnings, heavy options activity and a stream of new analyst and media coverage shaping sentiment around the stock.

KO stock snapshot: near the top of its range

Coca-Cola shares last closed at about $73.12 on Friday, November 28, with after-hours trade essentially flat. ^[1]

Several recent data points help frame where KO sits right now:

52-week range and valuation: Recent analysis pegs Coca-Cola’s 12‑month range around $60.62 to $74.38, putting the current price close to the top end. At roughly this level the stock trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple in the low‑20s, above the soft-drink industry average, and at a price-to-sales ratio near 6, also a premium to peers. ^[2]
Year-to-date performance: Multiple research outlets estimate KO’s year‑to‑date gain around 17–18%, a strong showing for a defensive consumer-staples name, even if it lags the S&P 500’s best performers. ^[3]
Defensive profile: With a beta around 0.4, KO continues to behave more like a low-volatility income stock than a high-beta growth play, a key part of its appeal to conservative investors. ^[4]

In other words, the market is currently paying a premium price for what it sees as quality, predictability and income.

Dividend deadline: ex-dividend date hits December 1

The most time-sensitive catalyst around KO right now is its next dividend.

According to several dividend-tracking platforms and Coca-Cola’s own investor materials:

The next ex-dividend date is December 1, 2025.
The next quarterly dividend is $0.51 per share, implying an annual payout of $2.04.
At recent prices, that works out to a dividend yield of roughly 2.8%.
The payment date is December 15, 2025. ^[5]

Coca-Cola has now delivered 63 consecutive years of dividend increases, reinforcing its status as both a Dividend Aristocrat and a Dividend King. ^[6]

Financial media and data sites are highlighting the looming dividend for income-focused traders. Some, such as Dividend.com, even promote “dividend capture” strategies that involve buying KO just before the ex-dividend date and selling once the price typically adjusts. ^[7]

For longer-term investors, the more important point is that KO continues to pair a reliable cash payout with moderate earnings growth — a combination that underpins much of the bullish long-term narrative around the stock.

Earnings momentum: Q3 2025 was solid, and guidance held

The underlying business performance has helped justify Coca-Cola’s premium valuation. On October 21, the company reported third-quarter 2025 results that showed steady growth and expanding margins: ^[8]

Net revenue grew 5% to about $12.5 billion, with organic revenue up 6%, driven largely by 6% price/mix growth.
Global unit case volume increased 1%, indicating that price increases, not just volume, are driving top-line gains.
Operating margin climbed to roughly 32%, up sharply from just over 21% a year earlier, supported by pricing power and cost management.
Reported EPS grew around 30% to $0.86, while comparable EPS increased roughly 6% to $0.82, even after currency headwinds.

Coverage of the earnings season notes that Coca-Cola beat analyst expectations on both revenue and earnings, with one breakdown citing adjusted EPS of $0.82 versus a $0.78 consensus and sales slightly ahead of estimates. ^[9]

Importantly, Coca-Cola reaffirmed its full-year 2025 guidance, still targeting: ^[10]

5–6% organic revenue growth,
about 8% growth in comparable currency-neutral EPS, and
at least $9.8 billion in free cash flow (excluding a previously disclosed fairlife contingent payment).

That combination of steady mid-single-digit growth, strong margins and predictable cash flow is exactly what dividend and “quality” investors tend to prize.

Options spike and institutional flows signal heightened interest

Beyond fundamentals, short-term positioning around the stock has become more active.

On November 30, American Market News reported that KO experienced unusually high options activity, with traders buying about 94,563 call options in a single session — roughly a 72% jump over the stock’s average daily call volume of around 54,876 contracts. ^[11]

The same report and related data highlight that:

KO trades with a market capitalization above $300 billion,
maintains a P/E ratio in the mid‑20s, and
is more than 16% above its 52‑week low. ^[12]

Meanwhile, a string of recent 13F-related headlines on MarketBeat shows institutions both adding and trimming positions. Articles in the last few days alone mention Norges Bank, Schroder Investment Management, Korea Investment Corp and other large asset managers adjusting their KO stakes, while one filing notes BLI Banque de Luxembourg Investments increasing its holdings. ^[13]

Taken together, elevated options volume plus ongoing institutional repositioning suggest that professional investors are actively fine‑tuning their KO exposure ahead of the ex-dividend date and year-end positioning.

Buffett’s 9% bet: Coca-Cola as a core Berkshire holding

Coca-Cola also remains central to Warren Buffett’s long-running investment story. A new breakdown of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio published on November 30 lists KO as one of Buffett’s five largest holdings: ^[14]

Coca-Cola represents about 9.3% of Berkshire’s $312 billion public-equities portfolio, placing it alongside Apple, American Express, Bank of America and Chevron in the top tier.

That concentration underscores how Buffett and his team view KO: not as a fast grower, but as a durable, cash-generating consumer franchise whose brand and distribution moat can support decades of dividend payments and modest compounding.

This “Buffett halo” is repeatedly referenced in financial media and is part of why KO often appears on lists of “forever stocks” or core holdings for conservative portfolios. ^[15]

The valuation debate: how expensive is KO now?

The key question for many analysts right now is whether Coca-Cola’s premium valuation leaves enough upside from current levels.

A recent Zacks-driven analysis, syndicated via Finviz, describes KO as trading at a forward P/E of about 22x, compared with roughly 18x for the beverages–soft drinks industry. Its price-to-sales ratio near 6 also sits well above the group average around 4.4. ^[16]

Despite that, the same research notes that:

KO shares have outperformed many beverage peers in 2025,
earnings estimates for 2025 and 2026 have ticked slightly higher, with 2025 revenue and EPS growth projected around 2.7% and 3.5%, and 2026 growth around 5.6% and 8%, respectively. ^[17]

Simply Wall St, in a valuation piece dated November 28, offers a more nuanced picture: ^[18]

One narrative framework pegs KO’s “fair value” around $67.50, implying the stock is roughly 8% overvalued at recent prices.
A separate discounted cash flow (DCF) model values KO closer to $89.90 per share, nearly 19% above the current market price, emphasizing the strength of its long-term cash flows.

Meanwhile, a detailed forecast from 24/7 Wall St published on November 29 puts: ^[19]

the median Wall Street 12‑month price target at $79.08 (about 8.5% upside), with 14 “Buy” ratings and one “Hold,”
its own 2025 base-case target at $76, and
a 2030 projection of $101.25, implying nearly 39% upside over five years if growth and margin assumptions pan out.

The consensus across these viewpoints: KO isn’t cheap, but many analysts believe the combination of brand strength, international expansion and dependable dividends can still justify modest further gains for patient shareholders.

Strategic moves: bottler deal, innovation and AI

Beyond quarterly numbers, Coca-Cola has been reshaping parts of its system and investing in innovation that could underpin future growth.

1. Bottler transaction with Coca-Cola Consolidated

On November 7, Coca-Cola announced that its largest U.S. bottler, Coca-Cola Consolidated (NASDAQ: COKE), had repurchased all 18.8 million shares of its common stock previously owned by a Coca-Cola subsidiary, at $127 per share, for a total of about $2.4 billion. ^[20]

As part of the deal:

The Coca-Cola Company relinquished its board seat at Coca-Cola Consolidated.
Coca-Cola Consolidated funded the transaction with cash and a $1.2 billion 364‑day term loan, and reduced its own repurchase authorization.

For KO, the transaction represents another step in the long-running strategy of refranchising bottling operations and focusing capital on brand-building, concentrate sales and high-return marketing rather than owning local bottlers directly.

2. Innovation, R&D and packaging

A recent deep dive into Coca-Cola’s Brussels R&D center reveals an extensive pipeline of product and packaging innovation: ^[21]

The company has launched Cappy Bubble, a Minute Maid-branded bubble tea‑style juice drink in parts of Europe, and brought BodyArmor — its sports-drink challenger brand — to European shelves, starting in Spain.
R&D teams are heavily focused on sugar reduction, new textures and functional beverages, reflecting shifting consumer preferences.
The same European facility is experimenting with tethered caps, label‑free bottles and other packaging changes to meet stricter EU rules and reduce plastic waste.

These initiatives line up with broader commentary, such as the 24/7 Wall St analysis, which highlights Coca-Cola’s push into non‑carbonated drinks, alcoholic ready-to-drink partnerships (like Jack Daniel’s & Coca‑Cola), and sophisticated use of AI and data analytics to optimize product mixes and marketing. ^[22]

Over time, these innovations are meant to support modest volume growth, sustain pricing power and keep Coca-Cola relevant as consumer tastes fragment and regulators tighten rules on sugar and packaging.

Legal headline: Johnny Cash estate lawsuit

Not all of the latest news flow is financial. On November 26, Reuters reported that the estate of country music legend Johnny Cash filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola in federal court in Nashville. The suit alleges that the company used a soundalike singer resembling Cash in a college-football-themed commercial without proper authorization, potentially violating Tennessee’s right-of-publicity laws. ^[23]

The complaint seeks to stop further use of the ad and claims the spot may have misled consumers into thinking the Cash estate endorsed the campaign. While any financial impact on a company the size of Coca-Cola is likely to be limited, the case is a reminder that brand-driven businesses must manage legal and reputational risk carefully, especially when their marketing leans on iconic cultural references.

Near-term outlook: a steady giant priced for dependability

As of November 30, 2025, the story around Coca-Cola’s stock can be summed up in a few themes:

Financially solid: Q3 results showed mid-single-digit revenue growth, stronger margins and robust free-cash-flow guidance.
Income engine: A 2.7–2.8% dividend yield, decades-long growth streak and another $0.51 payment scheduled for mid-December keep KO firmly in the income-investor toolbox.
High but not extreme valuation: The stock trades at a clear premium to soft-drink peers, but analysts still project modest upside over the next 12 months and potentially larger gains by 2030 if growth plans hold.
Heightened market activity: Elevated options volume and active institutional trading show KO is more than just a sleepy defensive name heading into year-end.
Ongoing innovation and occasional legal risk: From R&D‑driven beverage launches and sustainable packaging to the Johnny Cash lawsuit, the company continues to navigate both strategic opportunities and brand-related challenges.

For investors, KO today looks much like the product it sells: familiar, steady, and unlikely to surprise dramatically in either direction in the short term. The trade-off is simple — pay up for resilience and a rising dividend stream, or look elsewhere for faster growth and lower multiples.

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