Impax Asset Management Group plc Purchases 9,108 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 154,591 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,108 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $9,625,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Hara Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. MilWealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total transaction of $3,882,079.68. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at $17,520,662.64. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,324,191.46. The trade was a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 232,646 shares of company stock worth $16,515,469. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of Coca-Cola stock traded up $0.13 during trading on Thursday, hitting $70.93. 16,780,602 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,036,717. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $64.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.50. The stock 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 Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $57.93 and a 1-year high of $73.53.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on KO shares. UBS Group boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen upgraded 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $73.82.

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.