Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Trading Up 1.4% – Here’s Why

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) rose 1.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $71.67 and last traded at $71.57. Approximately 5,254,194 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 16,634,143 shares. The stock had previously closed at $70.59.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KO shares. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $66.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company has a market capitalization of $307.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. On average, analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.54%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 70.26% of the stock is 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.