The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) EVP Beatriz R. Perez Sells 57,298 Shares

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 57,298 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $3,551,903.02. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 167,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,358,962.93. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KO traded up $0.27 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.62. 9,759,772 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,919,337. The company has a market cap of $269.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.00, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $59.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.04. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $51.55 and a 1 year high of $64.25.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.02. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.41% and a return on equity of 42.74%. The business had revenue of $11.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 77.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted 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. increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.27.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of KO. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 80,448,083 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,503,484,000 after acquiring an additional 1,950,146 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Coca-Cola by 4.1% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 63,138,970 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,501,789,000 after purchasing an additional 2,464,618 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at about $2,808,056,000. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.8% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 44,913,068 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,514,234,000 after buying an additional 2,040,664 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 40,564,179 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,390,448,000 after buying an additional 2,893,061 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.