Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Boosts Position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO)

Braun Stacey Associates Inc. boosted its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 1.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 314,502 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,002 shares during the quarter. Braun Stacey Associates Inc.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $22,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HM Payson & Co. boosted its stake in CocaCola by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 96,682 shares of the company's stock worth $6,924,000 after purchasing an additional 1,458 shares during the period. Elite Financial Inc. bought a new position in CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $104,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its stake in CocaCola by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 74,257 shares of the company's stock worth $5,319,000 after purchasing an additional 9,460 shares during the period. Jackson Thornton Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $623,000. Finally, Ceera Investments LLC bought a new position in CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $206,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

CocaCola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.19. 9,440,457 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 16,178,355. The company has a market capitalization of $306.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $60.62 and a 52-week high of $74.38. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $71.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.60.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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. CocaCola had a return on equity of 45.49% and a net margin of 23.00%. CocaCola's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 81.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on KO. Cfra Research upgraded CocaCola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on CocaCola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on CocaCola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, CocaCola currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $76.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CocaCola news, CFO John Murphy sold 88,658 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 205,511 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,815,287.99. The trade was a 30.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 60,326 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 187,716 shares in the company, valued at $13,491,148.92. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 415,387 shares of company stock valued at $29,923,985 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

About CocaCola

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.