The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Stock Holdings Lifted by Ethic Inc.

Ethic Inc. boosted its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 64.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 55,019 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,600 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $3,425,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $3,402,151,000. Capital International Investors grew its position in Coca-Cola by 96.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,949,194 shares of the company's stock worth $1,553,337,000 after buying an additional 12,222,885 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 18.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,163,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,617,400,000 after acquiring an additional 11,569,920 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $500,192,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,103,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,123,301,000 after purchasing an additional 6,118,819 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

KO traded down $0.61 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $68.92. 14,242,649 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,534,985. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The stock has a market cap of $296.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.90, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.47. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $60.62 and a 52 week high of $74.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.94 and a 200 day moving average of $66.65.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $11.13 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.72 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is currently 81.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was 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 hyperlink. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 60,326 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.87, for a total value of $4,335,629.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 187,716 shares in the company, valued at $13,491,148.92. This represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 462,407 shares of company stock worth $32,990,056. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Cfra Research raised shares of Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.59.

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.