Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Down 0.7%

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)’s stock price traded down 0.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $71.10 and last traded at $71.26. Approximately 3,131,101 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 76% from the average session volume of 13,073,674 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Cfra reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 25th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.07.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $304.66 billion, a PE ratio of 28.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 1.08. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $68.83 and its 200 day moving average is $64.18.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $12.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.78 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 43.62% and a net margin of 22.92%. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.74%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 19,304 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.96, for a total transaction of $1,253,987.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,507,516.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 38,653 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.01, for a total value of $2,667,443.53. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 19,304 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.96, for a total transaction of $1,253,987.84. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,507,516.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 974,715 shares of company stock valued at $579,704,927 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. New Millennium Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Coca-Cola in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. ESL Trust Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.