Coca-Cola Company (The) $KO Position Lessened by Vestor Capital LLC

Key Points

• Vestor Capital cut its Coca-Cola stake by 99.6% in the third quarter, selling 326,803 shares and retaining 1,196 shares worth about $103,000.
• Coca-Cola beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates: EPS was $0.91 versus $0.88 expected, while revenue reached $13.35 billion and rose 7.2% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.53 per share, equivalent to $2.12 annually and a 2.2% yield; analysts’ consensus rating is “Moderate Buy,” with a $97.26 average price target.

Vestor Capital LLC cut its position in shares of Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 99.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,196 shares of the company's stock after selling 326,803 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $103,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 38.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Timbuktu Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $96.94 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 1.38. The company has a fifty day moving average of $90.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.93. The stock has a market capitalization of $417.01 billion, a PE ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.28. Coca-Cola Company has a fifty-two week low of $67.27 and a fifty-two week high of $97.39.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.92 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.65% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The company's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.82 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a $0.53 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.35%.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 111,365 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.93, for a total value of $10,126,419.45. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 41,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,761,319.45. The trade was a 72.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 50,000 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.39, for a total value of $4,519,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,186,798.70. The trade was a 18.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last three months, insiders have sold 249,498 shares of company stock valued at $23,025,238. 0.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on KO. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $96.00 price target on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Monday, October 26th. Freedom Broker increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $85.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Citigroup increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $102.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn raised their price objective on Coca-Cola from $86.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $97.26.

Key Headlines Impacting Coca-Cola

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s push into functional beverages is gaining traction, with fairlife, Powerade and smartwater growth, alongside innovation and capacity expansion, offering potential avenues for growth. Can Coca-Cola Benefit From Rising Demand for Functional Drinks?
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles emphasize KO’s durable brands and its 64-year record of dividend increases, reinforcing its appeal to long-term income investors. One report also notes Berkshire Hathaway receives about $848 million annually in dividends from its Coca-Cola investment. Coca-Cola's Dividend Has Grown 64 Years in a Row Warren Buffett's Coca-Cola Investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola India is advancing draft papers for an IPO. The report does not specify how the offering could affect KO financially. Coca-Cola India IPO moves forward with draft papers
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Nancy Quan sold shares to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards and retained a substantial stake, making the transaction less informative as a signal about her outlook. Coca-Cola EVP Nancy Quan Sells Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary cautions that KO’s share-price gains have outpaced revisions to its earnings outlook, raising valuation concerns. Higher real Treasury yields and competing bond yields could also make dividend stocks less attractive to some investors. Coca-Cola Stock Keeps Setting Records Treasuries Now Offer 2.66% Above Inflation

Coca-Cola Profile

The Coca-Cola Company NYSE: KO is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands. The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.

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