Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. Boosts Stock Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 88.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,320 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,847 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.'s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Financial Counselors Inc. raised its position in Coca-Cola by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 308,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,201,000 after purchasing an additional 2,099 shares during the last quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 32,592 shares of the company's stock worth $2,029,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the period. Morey & Quinn Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth approximately $255,000. Ipsen Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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. This trade represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 over the last quarter. 0.97% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Coca-Cola Trading Up 1.9 %

NYSE KO traded up $1.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $71.69. 24,012,229 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 14,925,517. The stock has a market cap of $308.50 billion, a PE ratio of 29.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $57.93 and a 52 week high of $73.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $67.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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%. Analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.85%. 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. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Coca-Cola 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.