MSH Capital Advisors LLC Makes New Investment in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

MSH Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 59,552 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,708,000. Coca-Cola accounts for 1.2% of MSH Capital Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.5% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 399,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,716,000 after buying an additional 2,069 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc increased its position in Coca-Cola by 25.0% during the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 17,500 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 182,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,116,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 21.4% in the 3rd quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 11,711 shares of the company's stock worth $842,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthquest Corp bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the third quarter valued at approximately $412,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.59.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of KO stock traded up $1.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.99. The stock had a trading volume of 20,745,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,409,159. The Coca-Cola Company has a fifty-two week low of $59.00 and a fifty-two week high of $73.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $70.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.42. The firm has a market cap of $314.13 billion, a PE ratio of 29.55, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. This is an increase from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.59%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total transaction of $3,882,079.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,520,662.64. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. 0.90% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Coca-Cola

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.