Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Has $245.83 Million Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. lessened its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,948,482 shares of the company's stock after selling 91,000 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.09% of Coca-Cola worth $245,832,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $697,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company's stock worth $311,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Excalibur Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company's stock worth $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 3,616 shares of the company's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Brown Inc. raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 21,024 shares of the company's stock worth $1,309,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of Coca-Cola stock traded down $0.56 during trading on Friday, hitting $71.96. 16,313,300 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,377,539. The stock has a market cap of $309.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.13, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $70.72 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.50. The Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $60.62 and a twelve month high of $74.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted 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%. Equities research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. 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 is presently 82.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $69.00 target price on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Cfra Research raised shares of Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 94,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,769,334. This trade represents a 12.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,324,191.46. The trade was a 29.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

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.