Howard Capital Management Group LLC Has $28.72 Million Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 0.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 399,607 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,069 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola accounts for about 2.0% of Howard Capital Management Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding. Howard Capital Management Group LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $28,716,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. LexAurum Advisors LLC boosted its position in Coca-Cola by 17.8% during the 3rd quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 5,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $375,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 691,459 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,688,000 after purchasing an additional 25,917 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 82,015 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,894,000 after purchasing an additional 653 shares in the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC now owns 25,073 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,802,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 14.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 79,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,680,000 after purchasing an additional 10,229 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of KO opened at $69.88 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $70.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.08. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $53.86 and a 52-week high of $73.53. The company has a market cap of $301.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.95, a PEG ratio of 3.92 and a beta of 0.60.

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. The firm had revenue of $12.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.78 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 43.62% and a net margin of 22.92%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. Analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.78%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KO shares. Cfra reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Coca-Cola in a research note on Monday, June 24th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.00.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 102,533 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $7,179,360.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,987,070.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 18,484 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,968,095. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 102,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $7,179,360.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $30,987,070.92. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 356,792 shares of company stock worth $24,728,364. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.