The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Acquired by Fayez Sarofim & Co

Fayez Sarofim & Co raised its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 18,408,210 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,155,538 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola accounts for about 2.8% of Fayez Sarofim & Co's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Fayez Sarofim & Co owned approximately 0.43% of Coca-Cola worth $1,148,609,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Howard Capital Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.5% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 399,607 shares of the company's stock worth $28,716,000 after purchasing an additional 2,069 shares during the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 25.0% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 680 shares during the period. Aldebaran Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 21.4% during the third quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 11,711 shares of the company's stock worth $842,000 after acquiring an additional 2,065 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthquest Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $412,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE:KO traded down $0.58 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $73.32. The stock had a trading volume of 16,349,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,399,074. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.65 and a 200 day moving average of $66.47. The company has a market capitalization of $315.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.68, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The Coca-Cola Company has a one year low of $59.84 and a one year high of $74.38.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on KO. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Cfra Research raised Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.06.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, 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 owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at $3,749,745.02. This represents a 32.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

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.