Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 0.5% - Here's Why

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) shares fell 0.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $72.01 and last traded at $72.08. 3,714,379 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 15,293,410 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.45.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KO. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.59.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $70.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The stock has a market capitalization 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.

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 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, equities research analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is an increase from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.79%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the company's 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 of the company's stock, valued at $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,520,662.64. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. Insiders own 0.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. 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.