American Century Companies Inc. Lowers Stock Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

American Century Companies Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 702,903 shares of the company's stock after selling 67,423 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $43,763,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 18.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,163,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,617,400,000 after buying an additional 11,569,920 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $500,192,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 14.5% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 31,615,428 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,271,885,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013,996 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 92,957,028 shares of the company's stock worth $6,664,005,000 after purchasing an additional 2,966,964 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 6.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 27,984,953 shares of the company's stock worth $1,990,407,000 after purchasing an additional 1,609,565 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Coca-Cola Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:KO traded up $1.32 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $71.69. 24,012,229 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,925,517. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $308.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a fifty day moving average of $67.95 and a 200 day moving average of $66.38. The Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $57.93 and a twelve month high of $73.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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%. On average, analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on KO. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen upgraded Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.24.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the 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 is available through this link. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $10,327,339.35. Following the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 over the last three months. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.