Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $74.00 to $78.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s price target points to a potential upside of 6.39% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on KO. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $69.00 target price on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Cfra Research raised shares of Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Two 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.06.

Coca-Cola Stock Down 0.8 %

KO traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $73.32. The company had a trading volume of 16,349,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,399,074. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $70.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.47. Coca-Cola has a 52 week low of $59.84 and a 52 week high of $74.38. The company has a market capitalization of $315.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.68, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Coca-Cola will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the company's 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $24,324,191.46. The trade was a 29.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KO. Navis Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Navis Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,594 shares of the company's stock worth $257,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,189 shares of the company's stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 4,308 shares of the company's stock valued at $309,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company's stock worth $311,000 after buying an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Excalibur Management Corp grew its position in Coca-Cola by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

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.