Banco BTG Pactual S.A. boosted its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 140.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,540 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 6,149 shares during the quarter. Banco BTG Pactual S.A.'s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $652,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Parametrica Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $389,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. grew its position in Coca-Cola by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 14,098 shares of the company's stock worth $878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,661 shares in the last quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 9.2% during the 4th quarter. TrueMark Investments LLC now owns 66,479 shares of the company's stock worth $4,139,000 after purchasing an additional 5,624 shares during the last quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 88.6% during the 4th quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 10,320 shares of the company's stock valued at $643,000 after purchasing an additional 4,847 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 308,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,201,000 after purchasing an additional 2,099 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.
Coca-Cola Price Performance
Shares of Coca-Cola stock traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $70.36. The company had a trading volume of 17,408,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,889,152. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.45. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $57.93 and a 1-year high of $73.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a market capitalization of $302.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.
Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.
Coca-Cola Increases Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.59%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have recently commented on KO. DZ Bank raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Coca-Cola presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.24.
Read Our Latest Research Report on KO
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total transaction of $3,882,079.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,520,662.64. The trade was a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.
About Coca-Cola
(
Free Report)
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.
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