National Pension Service Increases Stock Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

National Pension Service grew its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 13.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,644,921 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,027,823 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola comprises approximately 0.5% of National Pension Service's portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. National Pension Service owned 0.20% of Coca-Cola worth $538,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the third quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. 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. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:KO traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $70.93. 16,769,386 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,873,965. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a fifty day moving average of $64.19 and a 200 day moving average of $66.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $305.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $57.93 and a 12 month high of $73.53.

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 return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. On average, research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. 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 yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 232,646 shares of company stock worth $16,515,469. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.