Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Trading 0.3% Higher

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) shares were up 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $61.26 and last traded at $61.21. Approximately 2,213,022 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average daily volume of 13,997,854 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.03.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on KO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.00.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $263.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.59. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $60.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $10.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.68 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.50% and a net margin of 23.42%. Coca-Cola’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be paid a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is 78.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $3,138,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,602,980. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total transaction of $1,102,114.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $3,138,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 143,383 shares in the company, valued at $8,602,980. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 12.2% during the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,354,000 after buying an additional 4,527 shares during the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,770 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Wahed Invest LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 61,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,435,000 after acquiring an additional 5,707 shares during the period. Tucker Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 110.4% during the second quarter. Tucker Asset Management LLC now owns 9,052 shares of the company’s stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 4,749 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cohen Lawrence B increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.8% during the third quarter. Cohen Lawrence B now owns 40,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,288,000 after buying an additional 1,111 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

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.