Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Trading 1.4% Higher - Here's Why

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) shares were up 1.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $71.67 and last traded at $71.57. Approximately 5,254,194 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 16,634,143 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.2 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $305.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61. The business's 50 day moving average price is $64.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. Equities analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This is an increase from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.59%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 shares were 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 owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at $17,520,662.64. The trade was a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 232,646 shares of company stock valued at $16,515,469 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 have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 57.5% during the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.