Beatriz R. Perez Sells 57,298 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Stock

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 57,298 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total value of $3,551,903.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 167,107 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,358,962.93. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $62.85 on Thursday. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $51.55 and a 12 month high of $64.25. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $60.32 and a 200-day moving average of $59.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $270.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.14, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.57.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.01 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.41% and a return on equity of 42.74%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.68 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.82 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.60%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Tidemark LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 213.3% in the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Finally, Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on KO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.27.

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.