The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Brokerages

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $73.82.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on KO shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Barclays raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of KO opened at $70.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. Coca-Cola has a 52-week low of $57.93 and a 52-week high of $73.53. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.54 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.41. The company has a market capitalization of $301.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts predict that Coca-Cola will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 2.2% during the third quarter. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $500,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL now owns 9,993 shares of the company’s stock worth $718,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. Freedom Day Solutions LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Freedom Day Solutions LLC now owns 14,229 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,022,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 27,878 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,003,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.