Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 0.1%

Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) traded down 0.1% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $63.90 and last traded at $63.96. 1,533,875 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 13,034,772 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.05.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KO shares. UBS Group increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. BNP Paribas began coverage on Coca-Cola in a research note on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Argus raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.83.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

The company has a fifty day moving average of $62.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $274.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.86.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.02. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.74% and a net margin of 23.41%. The business had revenue of $11.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.82 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 77.60%.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 8,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.31, for a total value of $561,812.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 33,638 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,129,621.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 80,891 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.34, for a total value of $5,042,744.94. Following the sale, the insider now owns 218,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,644,979.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 8,874 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.31, for a total transaction of $561,812.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 33,638 shares in the company, valued at $2,129,621.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 223,665 shares of company stock valued at $13,995,465 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Enterprise Bank & Trust Co grew its position in Coca-Cola by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Enterprise Bank & Trust Co now owns 5,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $296,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Community Bank & Trust Waco Texas now owns 30,262 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,851,000 after buying an additional 168 shares during the last quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Coca-Cola by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 9,681 shares of the company’s stock worth $571,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Elk River Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Coca-Cola by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Elk River Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,838 shares of the company’s stock worth $639,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KRS Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. KRS Capital Management LLC now owns 4,645 shares of the company’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% 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.