Coca-Cola Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:KO)

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 85,190 call options on the company. This is an increase of 29% compared to the average volume of 66,163 call options.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 55,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $3,941,055.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,533,008.09. The trade was a 18.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 288,146 shares of company stock valued at $20,456,524 over the last three months. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Stock Down 1.2 %

KO stock traded down $0.82 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.22. The stock had a trading volume of 3,855,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,988,788. Coca-Cola has a one year low of $57.93 and a one year high of $73.53. 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 company's 50 day moving average is $65.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.58. The company has a market capitalization of $302.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.42, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that Coca-Cola will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a boost 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 2.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.