Invesco Ltd. Purchases 3,791,300 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Invesco Ltd. increased its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 18.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,566,933 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,791,300 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned 0.57% of Coca-Cola worth $1,529,537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,402,151,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,163,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,617,400,000 after acquiring an additional 11,569,920 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth $500,192,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Coca-Cola by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,103,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,123,301,000 after acquiring an additional 6,118,819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 92,957,028 shares of the company's stock worth $6,664,005,000 after buying an additional 2,966,964 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $24,324,191.46. This trade represents a 29.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total value of $3,882,079.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at $17,520,662.64. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

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Coca-Cola Stock Up 1.5 %

KO traded up $1.04 on Thursday, hitting $70.99. 11,287,517 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,241,377. The company has a market cap of $305.51 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $57.93 and a 12 month high of $73.95. The stock's fifty day moving average is $69.27 and its 200-day moving average is $66.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share 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%. Equities research 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This is a boost from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $69.00 target price on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.24.

Coca-Cola 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.