The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Purchased by Exeter Financial LLC

Exeter Financial LLC boosted its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 3.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,599 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 927 shares during the period. Exeter Financial LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $1,637,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $410,000. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 24.7% in the fourth quarter. Beacon Pointe Advisors LLC now owns 450,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,549,000 after purchasing an additional 89,139 shares in the last quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 12.2% during the 3rd quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,354,000 after buying an additional 4,527 shares during the period. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 12.6% during the 4th quarter. Birchcreek Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC grew its holdings in Coca-Cola by 10.3% during the third quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 61,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,435,000 after acquiring an additional 5,707 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KO traded down $0.27 during trading on Thursday, reaching $63.78. The stock had a trading volume of 3,208,503 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,048,387. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $274.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.59. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $51.55 and a 52 week high of $64.36.

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

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.04%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is 77.60%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 8,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.31, for a total value of $561,812.94. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,129,621.78. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 8,874 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.31, for a total value of $561,812.94. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 33,638 shares in the company, valued at $2,129,621.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 57,298 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $3,551,903.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 167,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,358,962.93. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 223,665 shares of company stock worth $13,995,465. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on KO. Barclays upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Coca-Cola in a research note on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.83.

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.