Ipsen Advisor Group LLC Acquires New Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Ipsen Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,288 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $205,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth $40,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $68.85 on Wednesday. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average price is $67.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.40. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $57.93 and a 52-week high of $73.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.87, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. On average, analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.96%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is 82.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on KO shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.24.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at $6,769,334. This trade represents a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $24,324,191.46. This trade represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.97% 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.