LVW Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

LVW Advisors LLC boosted its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 35.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,635 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 6,398 shares during the quarter. LVW Advisors LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $1,507,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. ZRC Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 213.3% in the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Tidemark LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

KO stock opened at $63.65 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $274.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $62.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12-month low of $51.55 and a 12-month high of $64.36.

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

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.485 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.05%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is 77.60%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 57,298 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $3,551,903.02. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 167,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,358,962.93. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 57,298 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $3,551,903.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 167,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,358,962.93. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 8,874 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 223,665 shares of company stock valued at $13,995,465. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Coca-Cola in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Coca-Cola from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.83.

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.