Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 0.5% - Time to Sell?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 0.5% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $63.11 and last traded at $63.52. 3,185,413 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 13,803,639 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday. Truist Financial upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Cfra reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $72.50.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.06. The company has a market capitalization of $273.50 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.61. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $65.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.57.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.45% and a return on equity of 44.01%. The firm had revenue of $11.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a dividend of $0.485 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.06%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is currently 80.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $6,403,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $21,933,220.38. The trade was a 22.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Apella Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 10,533 shares of the company's stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 4.5% during the third quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,378 shares of the company's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC grew its position in Coca-Cola by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,871 shares of the company's stock worth $437,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. CCG Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. CCG Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,614 shares of the company's stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,956 shares of the company's stock worth $500,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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