Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC Acquires 2,893 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC increased its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 163,910 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,893 shares during the period. Coca-Cola makes up 2.5% of Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $10,205,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 15,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $963,000 after buying an additional 1,414 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 565,597 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,214,000 after acquiring an additional 34,118 shares during the last quarter. United Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. United Bank now owns 84,477 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,260,000 after acquiring an additional 3,589 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Coca-Cola by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 644,156 shares of the company’s stock worth $39,751,000 after acquiring an additional 3,779 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO opened at $70.36 on Monday. 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 stock has a market cap of $302.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $67.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.38. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $57.93 and a 1 year high of $73.53.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.24.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at $6,769,334. This represents a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. Corporate insiders own 0.97% 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.