Parametrica Management Ltd Takes Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Parametrica Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 6,243 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $389,000. Coca-Cola makes up 0.5% of Parametrica Management Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Coca-Cola has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.24.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $68.85 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $296.30 billion, a PE ratio of 27.87, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.28 and a 200 day moving average of $66.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03. The Coca-Cola Company has a one year low of $57.93 and a one year high of $73.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Insider Activity

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,749,745.02. This trade represents a 32.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.97% 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.