The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Edge Capital Group LLC

Edge Capital Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 99.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 424 shares of the company's stock after selling 419,379 shares during the quarter. Edge Capital Group LLC's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $26,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KO. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. DZ Bank raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO stock traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $70.93. 16,780,602 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 17,036,717. The firm has a market cap of $305.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61. 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 firm's 50 day simple moving average is $64.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.50. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $57.93 and a 1-year high of $73.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.88%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is 82.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total transaction of $3,882,079.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at $17,520,662.64. The trade was a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 232,646 shares of company stock valued at $16,515,469. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

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.