Nikolaos Koumettis Sells 55,500 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Stock

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 55,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $3,941,055.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 246,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,533,008.09. This represents a 18.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Nikolaos Koumettis also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Wednesday, February 26th, Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of Coca-Cola stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total transaction of $3,882,079.68.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.8 %

KO stock traded down $0.54 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $70.91. The company had a trading volume of 12,185,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 17,985,326. 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 Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $57.93 and a 52 week high of $73.53. The business has a 50 day moving average of $65.55 and a 200 day moving average of $66.57. The company has a market cap of $304.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.88%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. TD Cowen raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.24.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. REAP Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.