CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) Holdings Decreased by Waverton Investment Management Ltd

Waverton Investment Management Ltd cut its stake in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 12.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 111,087 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,500 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd's holdings in CocaCola were worth $7,957,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in CocaCola during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of CocaCola in the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 360.0% during the first quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 460 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in CocaCola by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

CocaCola Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of KO opened at $69.51 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $71.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $68.23. The stock has a market cap of $299.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.65 and a beta of 0.46. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $60.62 and a 12 month high of $74.38.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.02. CocaCola had a return on equity of 45.49% and a net margin of 23.00%. The company had revenue of $11.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.23 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.72 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. CocaCola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other CocaCola news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 60,326 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 8th. The shares were 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 now directly owns 187,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,491,148.92. The trade was a 24.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 266,403 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $19,197,000.18. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 275,946 shares in the company, valued at $19,884,668.76. This trade represents a 49.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 415,387 shares of company stock valued at $29,923,985. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of CocaCola in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Cfra Research raised shares of CocaCola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of CocaCola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of CocaCola from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on CocaCola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CocaCola presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $76.27.

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.

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