Howe & Rusling Inc. Has $12.72 Million Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Howe & Rusling Inc. grew its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 9.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 176,955 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,851 shares during the period. Coca-Cola accounts for 1.1% of Howe & Rusling Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Howe & Rusling Inc.'s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $12,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position 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. Finally, Mount Lucas Management LP acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the second quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of Coca-Cola stock traded up $0.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $62.99. 16,799,545 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,405,115. The company has a market cap of $271.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $57.33 and a 52 week high of $73.53. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $68.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.06.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $11.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 44.01% and a net margin of 22.45%. The firm's revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. Equities analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.08%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is 80.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total transaction of $6,403,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $21,933,220.38. The trade was a 22.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 18,484 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $1,321,606.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $15,968,095. This represents a 7.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 160,881 shares of company stock valued at $10,693,244. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on KO. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Cfra reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $72.36.

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.