The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Bought by Argent Advisors Inc.

Argent Advisors Inc. raised its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,539 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 879 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola makes up approximately 1.3% of Argent Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Argent Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $3,458,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 741.2% during the 4th quarter. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 45,998 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,864,000 after buying an additional 40,530 shares during the period. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $212,000. Cozad Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 51,877 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,230,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Cassady Schiller Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,720 shares of the company’s stock worth $294,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 109,650 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,827,000 after buying an additional 671 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

NYSE KO opened at $70.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $301.70 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. 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 Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $57.93 and a twelve month high of $73.53. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $66.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.91%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.24.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $24,324,191.46. This trade represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 52,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,749,745.02. This trade represents a 32.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. 0.97% of the stock is currently 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.