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

Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) traded down 0.1% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $60.14 and last traded at $60.46. 3,112,647 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 13,747,911 shares. The stock had previously closed at $60.55.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup increased 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 increased 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. lowered 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, April 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.09.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $265.35 billion, a PE ratio of 24.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.59. 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 price is $60.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.74.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.485 dividend. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.23%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the firm’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 value of $15,063,636.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at $26,968,753.24. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the 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 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. Insiders sold 375,407 shares of company stock worth $22,795,742 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tidemark LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 213.3% in the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors 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.