First Financial Bank Trust Division Has $897,000 Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

First Financial Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,487 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 459 shares during the period. First Financial Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $897,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Coca-Cola by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 3,796,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $223,726,000 after acquiring an additional 156,071 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 173,553 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,227,000 after purchasing an additional 7,879 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC lifted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 489,292 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,834,000 after purchasing an additional 7,603 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $618,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Coca-Cola by 7.9% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,581,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,930,000 after buying an additional 410,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

KO opened at $71.01 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.20 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $305.91 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40, a P/E/G ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 0.60. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $51.55 and a 1 year high of $73.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.92% and a return on equity of 43.62%. The company had revenue of $12.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were issued a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 13th. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is 77.60%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 24th. Cfra reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $71.07.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total value of $553,722,575.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,883,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,742,280,050. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 18,482 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.95, for a total transaction of $1,274,333.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,398,603.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total value of $553,722,575.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares in the company, valued at $1,742,280,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 974,715 shares of company stock worth $579,704,927. Company insiders own 0.97% 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.