Valmark Advisers Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 98.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 37,060 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,402 shares during the quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $2,184,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Enterprise Bank & Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Enterprise Bank & Trust Co now owns 5,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $296,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Elk River Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Elk River Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. KRS Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,645 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC now owns 9,734 shares of the company’s stock worth $573,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, John G Ullman & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 8,081 shares of the company’s stock worth $476,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO stock remained flat at $61.74 during trading hours on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 10,994,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,842,353. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $51.55 and a 1 year high of $64.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $60.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $58.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $266.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $10.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.68 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities 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 was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.23%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total transaction of $3,491,990.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $13,594,097.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total transaction of $1,102,114.91. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total transaction of $3,491,990.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 375,407 shares of company stock worth $22,795,742. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.22.

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.