Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. Grows Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. increased its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 22.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 26,399 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,902 shares during the period. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $1,644,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intact Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 41.4% in the fourth quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 246,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,328,000 after acquiring an additional 72,100 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at $1,910,000. Integras Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at $406,000. Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $718,000. Finally, Impact Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,060,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the business’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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total transaction of $3,882,079.68. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,520,662.64. The trade was a 18.14 % 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 valued at $22,263,071 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of KO opened at $69.59 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $66.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.63. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12-month low of $57.93 and a 12-month high of $73.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.17, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on KO shares. UBS Group upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. DZ Bank upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $69.00 target price on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, TD Cowen raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.24.

Coca-Cola Company 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.