Ellenbecker Investment Group Acquires 3,032 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Ellenbecker Investment Group increased its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 71.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,293 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,032 shares during the quarter. Ellenbecker Investment Group’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $429,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Enterprise Bank & Trust Co lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.4% in 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. Elk River Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Elk River Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,838 shares of the company’s stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. KRS Capital Management LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Wayfinding Financial LLC raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC now owns 9,734 shares of the company’s stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, John G Ullman & Associates Inc. raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. now owns 8,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

KO traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, reaching $60.64. The company had a trading volume of 13,680,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,898,863. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $59.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.67. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $51.55 and a 1 year high of $64.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $261.43 billion, a PE ratio of 24.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 EPS 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 in the prior year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup lifted their target price 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. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total value of $1,102,114.91. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total transaction of $1,102,114.91. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $26,968,753.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 375,407 shares of company stock worth $22,795,742. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.