Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super Buys Shares of 134,623 The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super acquired a new stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 134,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,382,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 41.9% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 613 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

NYSE:KO traded up $1.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $72.99. 20,745,798 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,392,094. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $70.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.41. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $58.54 and a 52-week high of $73.95. The company has a market cap of $314.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on KO. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, March 27th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $74.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $10,327,339.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,324,191.46. The trade was a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $961,317.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 94,676 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,769,334. The trade was a 12.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders own 0.90% 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.