The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Purchased by Verdence Capital Advisors LLC

Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 1.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 47,494 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 783 shares during the quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $3,413,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Rovin Capital UT ADV purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 56,561 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,065,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. United Bank raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 65.4% in the third quarter. United Bank now owns 80,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,813,000 after buying an additional 31,979 shares during the last quarter. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.9% during the third quarter. First Fiduciary Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 172,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,390,000 after buying an additional 4,787 shares during the period. Finally, Holistic Planning LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 9.2% during the third quarter. Holistic Planning LLC now owns 5,705 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on KO. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Cfra reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 27th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Coca-Cola from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.80.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 0.5 %

Coca-Cola stock opened at $63.96 on Friday. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $56.06 and a 12 month high of $73.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $275.53 billion, a PE ratio of 26.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.56 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.44.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.45% and a return on equity of 44.01%. The company had revenue of $11.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is 80.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 102,533 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $7,179,360.66. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at $30,987,070.92. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 40,334 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.54, for a total transaction of $2,804,826.36. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 74,067 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,150,619.18. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 102,533 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.02, for a total value of $7,179,360.66. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 442,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,987,070.92. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 203,748 shares of company stock worth $14,274,431. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

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.