Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC Raises Stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 292,050 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,078 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola accounts for approximately 1.5% of Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $18,183,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KO. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,189 shares of the company's stock worth $697,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Excalibur Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,831,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.8% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Brown Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:KO traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.96. 16,313,300 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,377,543. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $60.62 and a 1 year high of $74.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $309.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The business's 50-day moving average price is $70.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 positive change from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on KO. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. DZ Bank raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.06.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $961,317.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at $6,769,334. The trade was a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total transaction of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,749,745.02. The trade was a 32.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 over the last quarter. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by 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.