The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Holdings Reduced by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lessened its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,515,349 shares of the company's stock after selling 346,220 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.45% of Coca-Cola worth $1,214,532,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,189 shares of the company's stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC raised its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Excalibur Management Corp grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,831,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Coca-Cola by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 3,616 shares of the company's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Finally, Atlas Brown Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 21,024 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,309,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, TD Cowen raised 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 Wednesday, January 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.59.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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. The trade was a 12.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $71.78. 12,691,592 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,442,067. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.55. The company has a market cap of $308.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.06, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $60.62 and a 52-week high of $74.38.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.02. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. The business had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is 81.60%.

Coca-Cola 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.