The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by First American Trust FSB

First American Trust FSB reduced its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 69.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,640 shares of the company’s stock after selling 109,019 shares during the quarter. First American Trust FSB’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $2,966,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Howard Capital Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.5% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 399,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,716,000 after purchasing an additional 2,069 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 37.4% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 32,462 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,333,000 after buying an additional 8,837 shares during the period. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP lifted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Westfield Capital Management Co. LP now owns 193,948 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,937,000 after buying an additional 3,347 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 20.5% in the 3rd quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 26,286 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,901,000 after buying an additional 4,470 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 39.7% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 6,765,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $486,181,000 after acquiring an additional 1,921,241 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of KO opened at $68.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.15 and a 200-day moving average of $66.42. The company has a market cap of $296.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $57.93 and a 1 year high of $73.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.24.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total transaction of $1,806,547.19. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at $3,749,745.02. This represents a 32.51 % 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 worth $22,263,071 in the last three months. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Coca-Cola 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.