Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Trading 0.4% Higher

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) shares rose 0.4% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $72.80 and last traded at $72.77. Approximately 2,803,898 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 13,013,192 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.47.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Argus upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 22nd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Coca-Cola in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.73.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $66.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.08. The company has a market capitalization of $315.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.27, a P/E/G ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.92% and a return on equity of 43.62%. The business had revenue of $12.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. Coca-Cola’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect 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 will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.60%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 18,484 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $1,321,606.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,968,095. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 18,484 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $1,321,606.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $15,968,095. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total transaction of $553,722,575.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,883,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,742,280,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,074,910 shares of company stock valued at $585,972,318. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the second quarter worth about $26,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. ESL Trust Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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.