Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Down 0.1% – Here’s Why

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)’s stock price fell 0.1% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $71.40 and last traded at $71.85. 3,202,579 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 15,347,850 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.91.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. DZ Bank upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.06.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $307.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.97, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total transaction of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,749,745.02. This represents a 32.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,769,334. This represents a 12.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the first quarter valued at about $30,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 360.0% in the first quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 460 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moser Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 449.5% in the first quarter. Moser Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 500 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.