Insider Selling: The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Insider Sells 19,058 Shares of Stock

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

KO stock traded down $0.10 during trading on Friday, hitting $70.77. 5,525,870 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,734,377. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $57.93 and a 1 year high of $73.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company has a market cap of $304.37 billion, a PE ratio of 28.67, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $64.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.50.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. On average, equities analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change 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 2.88%. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. REAP Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on KO shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised 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 on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $74.24.

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.