The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $71.07.

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on KO shares. Cfra reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Coca-Cola from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total value of $553,722,575.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 1,883,546 shares in the company, valued at $1,742,280,050. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 102,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total transaction of $7,179,360.66. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,987,070.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,742,280,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 974,715 shares of company stock valued at $579,704,927. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KO. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 84.2% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,007,300 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,115,000 after buying an additional 460,453 shares during the period. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group boosted its position in Coca-Cola by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group now owns 21,633 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,377,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. American Trust grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 15.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Trust now owns 15,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,006,000 after acquiring an additional 2,119 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.2% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 9,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $612,000 after acquiring an additional 648 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cannon Financial Strategists Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,611,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of KO stock opened at $71.79 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $309.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.60. Coca-Cola has a 12-month low of $51.55 and a 12-month high of $73.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $69.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.75.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.78 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Coca-Cola will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 77.60%.

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.