Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Up 1.5% – Should You Buy?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) traded up 1.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $63.55 and last traded at $63.50. 3,124,887 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 77% from the average session volume of 13,846,980 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.55.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on KO shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.50.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $269.02 billion, a PE ratio of 25.81, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.61. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $65.03 and its 200 day moving average is $66.63.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $11.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.61 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 44.01% and a net margin of 22.45%. The firm’s revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.11%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.17%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total transaction of $6,403,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $21,933,220.38. This trade represents a 22.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Mount Lucas Management LP acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the second quarter worth $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

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.