Mizuho Securities USA LLC Has $22.88 Million Stock Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 46.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 367,453 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 115,928 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $22,878,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. MilWealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Hara Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 43.7% in the 4th quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 691 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total transaction of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 52,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,749,745.02. This trade represents a 32.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of Coca-Cola stock opened at $68.58 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $67.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $295.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $57.93 and a 52 week high of $73.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.97%. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on KO. TD Cowen raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. DZ Bank upgraded 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.