Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 1% - Time to Sell?

Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) fell 1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $73.04 and last traded at $73.15. 4,181,791 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 73% from the average session volume of 15,345,399 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. 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 research report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Cfra Research raised Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Two investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $75.06.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $313.00 billion, a PE ratio of 29.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $70.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.43. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. As a group, research analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. This is a boost from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $6,769,334. This represents a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the company's 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at $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 quarter, insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Rice Partnership LLC grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Rice Partnership LLC now owns 102,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,397,000 after buying an additional 6,793 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 18,189 shares of the company's stock worth $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 8,499 shares during the period. Clark & Stuart Inc bought a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,582,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 222.9% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 192,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,814,000 after buying an additional 132,701 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 893,192 shares of the company's stock worth $55,610,000 after buying an additional 8,810 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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