The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Bought by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,103,772 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,118,819 shares during the period. Coca-Cola makes up approximately 0.6% of Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.79% of Coca-Cola worth $2,123,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Excalibur Management Corp grew its position in Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 3,616 shares of the company's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Atlas Brown Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 21,024 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,309,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 39,198 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,440,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Coca-Cola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $71.85. 15,303,617 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,940,013. 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 Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $57.93 and a 1 year high of $73.53. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $67.95 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $309.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $10,327,339.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. 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 ninety days. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. DZ Bank upgraded Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $74.24.

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.