Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) had its price target raised by UBS Group from $72.00 to $78.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 12.27% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on KO. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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 research report on Thursday, December 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 1.1 %

KO stock opened at $69.48 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Coca-Cola has a 1 year low of $57.93 and a 1 year high of $73.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.76 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.33. The firm has a market cap of $299.28 billion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.45% and a return on equity of 44.01%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Coca-Cola will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth approximately $18,383,000. Balentine LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 92.4% during the third quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 28,493 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,048,000 after buying an additional 13,685 shares in the last quarter. Rice Partnership LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Rice Partnership LLC now owns 102,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,397,000 after buying an additional 6,793 shares in the last quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 104.9% during the third quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 116,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,351,000 after buying an additional 59,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 87.7% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 18,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,132,000 after buying an additional 8,499 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

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.