BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Acquires 110,828 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S grew its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 6.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,738,513 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 110,828 shares during the period. Coca-Cola comprises 1.1% of BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $108,240,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of KO. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,520,662.64. This represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $961,317.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at $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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE KO traded up $1.31 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $72.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 20,745,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,385,871. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.36. The stock has a market cap of $314.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. 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 Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $59.72 and a 12 month high of $73.95.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share 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. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KO shares. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley upped 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. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Cfra Research raised shares of Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Coca-Cola has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.59.

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.