Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Up 0.3%

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) shares rose 0.3% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $70.91 and last traded at $70.85. Approximately 5,488,242 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 13,086,142 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.07.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $305.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.60.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 43.62% and a net margin of 22.92%. The firm had revenue of $12.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.78 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.78 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.60%.

Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total transaction of $553,722,575.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,742,280,050. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total transaction of $553,722,575.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,742,280,050. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 18,484 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $1,321,606.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $15,968,095. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 974,715 shares of company stock valued at $579,704,927. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Focus Financial Network Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,255,000. Swedbank AB acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the first quarter valued at approximately $102,604,000. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Angeles Investment Advisors LLC now owns 15,812 shares of the company’s stock valued at $932,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Quarterback LLC now owns 17,454 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,029,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BDF Gestion bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,421,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

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.