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

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report)'s share price fell 1% on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $67.28 and last traded at $67.75. 5,213,200 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 66% from the average session volume of 15,149,060 shares. The stock had previously closed at $68.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on KO shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.24.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $307.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm's 50-day moving average is $69.60 and its 200-day moving average is $66.36.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,769,334. The trade was a 12.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 in the last three months. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 399,607 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,716,000 after buying an additional 2,069 shares in the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 25.0% during the third quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 17,500 shares of the company's stock worth $1,258,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.4% during the third quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 182,521 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,116,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 21.4% in the third quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 11,711 shares of the company's stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares during the period. Finally, Wealthquest Corp bought a new position in Coca-Cola in the third quarter worth approximately $412,000. 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.