The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.22.

Several equities analysts have recently commented on KO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total value of $15,063,636.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,968,753.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $3,138,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,602,980. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total transaction of $15,063,636.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,968,753.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742 over the last 90 days. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 2.1% during the third quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC now owns 17,294 shares of the company’s stock valued at $968,000 after buying an additional 363 shares in the last quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 27.6% during the third quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,191 shares of the company’s stock valued at $626,000 after buying an additional 2,424 shares in the last quarter. TFG Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 4.5% during the third quarter. TFG Advisers LLC now owns 25,479 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,426,000 after buying an additional 1,091 shares in the last quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 4.1% during the third quarter. Zullo Investment Group Inc. now owns 18,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,026,000 after buying an additional 718 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 10.7% during the third quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,515 shares of the company’s stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 436 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

KO stock opened at $61.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Coca-Cola has a 1-year low of $51.55 and a 1-year high of $64.69. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $60.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $58.82. The firm has a market cap of $266.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.90, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $10.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.68 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.42% and a return on equity of 42.50%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Coca-Cola will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.23%.

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.