Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Has $2.78 Million Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd raised its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 65.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 44,565 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 17,665 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $2,775,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hills Bank & Trust Co grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Hills Bank & Trust Co now owns 37,086 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,309,000 after purchasing an additional 1,113 shares in the last quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. Greatmark Investment Partners Inc. now owns 179,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,191,000 after purchasing an additional 13,768 shares in the last quarter. HMV Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at about $291,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at about $397,000. Finally, Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 22.8% in the fourth quarter. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. now owns 26,399 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,644,000 after purchasing an additional 4,902 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.7 %

KO stock opened at $69.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $297.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $57.93 and a 1-year high of $73.53. The business’s 50 day moving average is $66.18 and its 200-day moving average is $66.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share 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 given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.95%. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 82.59%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. TD Cowen raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.24.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $10,327,339.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,769,334. This trade represents a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. 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.