The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Boston Research & Management Inc.

Boston Research & Management Inc. lessened its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 78,350 shares of the company’s stock after selling 310 shares during the period. Boston Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $4,878,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Summit Financial LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 11.4% during the 4th quarter. Summit Financial LLC now owns 97,757 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,086,000 after buying an additional 10,005 shares during the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 613 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. Bedell Frazier Investment Counselling LLC now owns 163,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,205,000 after acquiring an additional 2,893 shares during the period. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Coca-Cola by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. FSB Premier Wealth Management Inc. now owns 12,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $758,000 after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 15,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $963,000 after acquiring an additional 1,414 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total transaction of $3,882,079.68. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,520,662.64. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on KO. TD Cowen raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.24.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Coca-Cola stock opened at $70.36 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $302.80 billion, a PE ratio of 28.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a fifty-two week low of $57.93 and a fifty-two week high of $73.53. The business’s fifty day moving average is $67.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.38.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given 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 is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.90%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is 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.