Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 0.3% - Time to Sell?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) shares traded down 0.3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $72.82 and last traded at $72.76. 4,838,785 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 18,510,074 shares. The stock had previously closed at $73.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on KO shares. Cfra Research upgraded Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.06.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.8 %

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 stock has a market capitalization of $309.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.13, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company's 50-day moving average is $70.78 and its 200-day moving average is $66.52.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. Research analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 342,546 shares of the company's stock, valued at $24,324,191.46. The trade was a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 360.0% during the first quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 460 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

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.