Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Down 1.2% – Should You Sell?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)’s share price dropped 1.2% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $61.75 and last traded at $61.77. Approximately 2,620,236 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 14,052,564 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on KO shares. Cfra reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $75.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.50.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $266.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $11.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 44.01% and a net margin of 22.45%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.74 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th were given a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total transaction of $6,403,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,933,220.38. This trade represents a 22.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Mount Lucas Management LP purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter worth $38,000. Finally, American Capital Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 598.0% in the second quarter. American Capital Advisory LLC now owns 705 shares of the company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. 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.