OLD Second National Bank of Aurora Reduces Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

OLD Second National Bank of Aurora lessened its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,638 shares of the company’s stock after selling 366 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $214,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flossbach Von Storch AG boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 8.4% in the 4th quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG now owns 960,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,623,000 after acquiring an additional 74,348 shares during the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 17,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,028,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 86,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,071,000 after acquiring an additional 3,208 shares during the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 459,588 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,083,000 after acquiring an additional 30,277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 23.6% in the 4th quarter. United Super Pty Ltd in its capacity as Trustee for the Construction & Building Unions Superannuation Fund now owns 719,401 shares of the company’s stock valued at $42,394,000 after acquiring an additional 137,459 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total value of $15,063,636.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at $26,968,753.24. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total value of $3,491,990.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total transaction of $15,063,636.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,968,753.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 375,407 shares of company stock worth $22,795,742. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.18.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO stock opened at $58.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $59.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.53. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $51.55 and a 12 month high of $64.99. The company has a market capitalization of $253.97 billion, a PE ratio of 23.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.42% and a return on equity of 42.50%. The business had revenue of $10.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.68 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.485 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.23%.

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.