The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Receives Average Rating of “Buy” from Analysts

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the twenty ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.59.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. TD Cowen upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total transaction of $1,806,547.19. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,749,745.02. The trade was a 32.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Howard Capital Management Group LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 0.5% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 399,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,716,000 after buying an additional 2,069 shares during the last quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc raised its position in Coca-Cola by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 17,500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,258,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the last quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 10,327 shares of the company’s stock worth $742,000 after purchasing an additional 202 shares during the period. Bard Financial Services Inc. grew its position in Coca-Cola by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 182,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,116,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aldebaran Financial Inc. increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 21.4% in the third quarter. Aldebaran Financial Inc. now owns 11,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of KO stock opened at $72.99 on Friday. Coca-Cola has a fifty-two week low of $59.00 and a fifty-two week high of $73.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $314.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.55, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $70.39 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 expect that Coca-Cola will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

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.