Ameriflex Group Inc. Buys New Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $321,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,189 shares of the company's stock worth $697,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Excalibur Management Corp boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company's stock worth $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Tradition Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,737 shares of the company's stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its stake in Coca-Cola by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 39,198 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,440,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

NYSE:KO traded down $0.64 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.14. The stock had a trading volume of 8,691,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,683,190. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $60.62 and a 12 month high of $74.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $306.21 billion, a PE ratio of 28.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.47.

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

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is 81.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Cfra Research raised shares of Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.81.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at $3,749,745.02. This represents a 32.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 88,658 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.09, for a total value of $6,391,355.22. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,511 shares in the company, valued at $14,815,287.99. The trade was a 30.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 229,761 shares of company stock valued at $16,474,587 in the last 90 days. 0.97% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Coca-Cola

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.