Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Shares Down 1.4% - What's Next?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) shares traded down 1.4% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $71.34 and last traded at $71.55. 4,064,330 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 15,372,398 shares. The stock had previously closed at $72.55.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on KO shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two equities 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.59.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.6 %

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $70.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.56. The company has a market cap of $308.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03.

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

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 54,708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.96, for a total value of $3,882,079.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,520,662.64. This trade represents a 18.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KO. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 149.7% during the first quarter. Retirement Planning Co of New England Inc. now owns 16,306 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,168,000 after buying an additional 9,776 shares during the last quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 168,255 shares of the company's stock worth $12,050,000 after purchasing an additional 10,458 shares in the last quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 975,161 shares of the company's stock worth $69,841,000 after purchasing an additional 43,393 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 6,817 shares of the company's stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 903 shares during the period. Finally, Kooman & Associates bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the first quarter valued at about $224,000. Institutional investors 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.