Coca-Cola Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:KO)

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors acquired 91,479 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 68% compared to the typical volume of 54,383 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on KO. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Barclays lowered their target price on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.19.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO traded up $2.15 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $66.70. 12,650,198 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,428,464. The firm has a market cap of $287.31 billion, a PE ratio of 27.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Coca-Cola has a fifty-two week low of $57.93 and a fifty-two week high of $73.53. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $62.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.31.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 44.01% and a net margin of 22.45%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Coca-Cola will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,163,187 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,617,400,000 after buying an additional 11,569,920 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in Coca-Cola by 13.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 92,961,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,680,205,000 after purchasing an additional 11,206,995 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at $500,192,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 14.5% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 31,615,428 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,271,885,000 after purchasing an additional 4,013,996 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the third quarter worth $269,382,000. 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.