Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 0.2% - Should You Buy?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.2% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $62.00 and last traded at $61.97. 2,335,230 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average session volume of 13,327,820 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Cfra reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Barclays decreased their target price on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $72.36.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $268.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.61. The firm's 50 day moving average is $68.43 and its 200-day moving average is $66.54.

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

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $6,403,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $21,933,220.38. This trade represents a 22.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 18,484 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $1,321,606.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares of the company's stock, valued at $15,968,095. This represents a 7.64 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 303,748 shares of company stock valued at $20,677,431 in the last 90 days. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KO. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. bought a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at $18,383,000. Balentine LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 92.4% in the third quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 28,493 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,048,000 after acquiring an additional 13,685 shares during the period. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Coca-Cola by 104.9% in the third quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 116,214 shares of the company's stock worth $8,351,000 after purchasing an additional 59,503 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 5.8% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 850,802 shares of the company's stock worth $61,122,000 after purchasing an additional 46,541 shares during the period. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 4.8% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 457,782 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,895,000 after purchasing an additional 21,005 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

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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