Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Buys Shares of 5,486 The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 5,486 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $323,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 213.3% in the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Retirement Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,602,980. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,602,980. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total value of $15,063,636.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,968,753.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of KO traded up $1.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $60.17. The stock had a trading volume of 20,769,380 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,878,950. The company has a market cap of $259.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.26, a PEG ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.59. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.56. 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 Coca-Cola Company has a fifty-two week low of $51.55 and a fifty-two week high of $64.99.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $10.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.50% and a net margin of 23.42%. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.485 dividend. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.23%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Citigroup increased their target price on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.