The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s Largest Position

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 0.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,325,025 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,507 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola accounts for approximately 4.0% of ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $78,084,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 12.2% in the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,354,000 after purchasing an additional 4,527 shares during the period. HF Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Coca-Cola by 7.6% during the third 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 period. Wahed Invest LLC lifted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 10.3% during the third quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 61,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,435,000 after purchasing an additional 5,707 shares in the last quarter. Cohen Lawrence B grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.8% in the third quarter. Cohen Lawrence B now owns 40,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,288,000 after purchasing an additional 1,111 shares during the period. Finally, Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 46,470 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,738,000 after purchasing an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:KO traded up $1.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $60.17. 20,769,380 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,878,950. The firm has a market cap of $259.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.26, a P/E/G ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $51.55 and a 1 year high of $64.99. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $59.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.56.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.50% and a net margin of 23.42%. The company had revenue of $10.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Coca-Cola’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.23%.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In other news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,602,980. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the business’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 transaction of $3,138,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 143,383 shares in the company, valued at $8,602,980. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total transaction of $15,063,636.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at $26,968,753.24. 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 over the last 90 days. 0.97% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.09.

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.