Capital Analysts LLC Purchases 12,450 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Capital Analysts LLC boosted its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 19.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 77,153 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,450 shares during the period. Capital Analysts LLC's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $4,804,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 41.9% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 613 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of Coca-Cola stock traded down $0.18 during trading on Monday, reaching $71.73. The stock had a trading volume of 15,954,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,397,552. The company has a market capitalization of $308.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.04, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.48. 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 Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $60.62 and a 52 week high of $74.38.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. 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 payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Coca-Cola news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,749,745.02. This trade represents a 32.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of Coca-Cola 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,324,191.46. This trade represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KO. TD Cowen upgraded Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $69.00 target price on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.06.

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.