CocaCola Company (The) $KO Stock: Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC Grows Holdings

Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC grew its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 14.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 138,518 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,167 shares during the period. CocaCola comprises approximately 1.2% of Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Patton Albertson Miller Group LLC’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $11,924,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC boosted its position in CocaCola by 38.7% in the second quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Timbuktu Capital Management LLC bought a new position in CocaCola in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Holos Integrated Wealth LLC grew its stake in CocaCola by 35.2% in the 3rd quarter. Holos Integrated Wealth LLC now owns 541 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KO. Bank of America raised their target price on CocaCola from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. CICC Research boosted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of CocaCola from $95.00 to $104.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Argus raised their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $91.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $96.59.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $92.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $89.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.49. CocaCola Company has a 1-year low of $67.27 and a 1-year high of $95.37. The firm has a market cap of $398.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.04. CocaCola had a return on equity of 39.38% and a net margin of 28.56%. The business had revenue of $13.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.87 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 3.30 earnings per share for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. CocaCola’s payout ratio is 63.66%.

Key CocaCola News

Here are the key news stories impacting CocaCola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect Coca-Cola to demonstrate continued growth when it reports third-quarter results. The company previously exceeded estimates with quarterly revenue growth and raised its full-year outlook, while its performance has compared favorably with rival PepsiCo’s reduced guidance. Coca-Cola Q3 earnings on deck: What to expect
• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s sports beverage strategy could support future growth. Powerade is gaining momentum, with FIFA World Cup marketing and rising demand for fitness-focused drinks providing potential benefits in an expanding category. Coca-Cola’s Sports Beverage Portfolio: Can it Capture Fitness Demand?
• Positive Sentiment: The broader consumer-staples rebound has lifted beverage stocks, and Coca-Cola remains viewed as a defensive, cash-generating company with an established dividend. Its current full-year EPS guidance is approximately $3.27 to $3.30. Consumer Staples Are Up 12% This Year—These 3 Beverage Stocks Are Leading the Way
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are particularly focused on international performance, including India, along with pricing, volume trends, currency effects and management’s updated outlook. These factors may determine whether Coca-Cola can sustain its recent momentum. Coca-Cola Stock Fell a Day After a 52-Week High: Here’s Why India Matters
• Negative Sentiment: After an approximately 35% advance, KO’s valuation has become more demanding and its dividend yield less attractive relative to PepsiCo. Any earnings miss, cautious guidance or evidence that growth is slowing could trigger a pullback. Coca-Cola Earnings Are Coming. Its Stock Rally Raises the Stakes.

Insider Buying and Selling at CocaCola

In other news, insider Sanket Ray sold 9,958 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.50, for a total transaction of $861,367.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 62,105 shares in the company, valued at $5,372,082.50. This represents a 13.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman James Quincey sold 145,947 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.09, for a total transaction of $13,148,365.23. Following the sale, the chairman directly owned 122,833 shares in the company, valued at $11,066,024.97. This trade represents a 54.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 469,753 shares of company stock worth $41,968,942. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

CocaCola Profile

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands.

The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

The Coca-Cola Company serves consumers in more than 200 countries and territories through a system that includes company-operated operations, independent bottling partners, distributors, retailers, and food-service providers.