Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. Has $6.15 Million Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. reduced its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 98,846 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,503 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $6,154,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KO. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. MilWealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 43.7% during the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 691 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 210 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,769,334. This represents a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $17,520,662.64. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KO. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays lifted their price objective 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 upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.24.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $68.58 on Friday. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $57.93 and a 1-year high of $73.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $295.12 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. 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.