CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) Shares Bought by Liberty Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• Liberty Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 493.6% in the first quarter, holding 53,390 shares valued at approximately $3.82 million.
• Coca-Cola reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the last quarter, exceeding expectations of $0.83, while total revenue was $12.50 billion, slightly below the anticipated $12.55 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.51 per share, which represents an annual yield of 3.0%, with a payout ratio of 72.34%.

Liberty Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 493.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 53,390 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 44,395 shares during the period. Liberty Wealth Management LLC's holdings in CocaCola were worth $3,824,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the first quarter valued at $30,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 360.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 148.4% in the first quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 477 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of CocaCola by 57.5% in the fourth quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

CocaCola Stock Performance

NYSE:KO opened at $68.87 on Friday. CocaCola Company has a 1 year low of $60.62 and a 1 year high of $74.38. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $70.33 and a 200-day moving average of $69.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.44.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.04. CocaCola had a net margin of 25.89% and a return on equity of 44.91%. The company had revenue of $12.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $12.55 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.84 earnings per share. CocaCola's quarterly revenue was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. CocaCola's payout ratio is 72.34%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on KO. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $76.00 target price on shares of CocaCola and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Cfra Research raised CocaCola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. BNP Paribas reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $83.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Monday, July 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $81.00 price target on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of CocaCola from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $77.21.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 266,403 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total value of $19,197,000.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 275,946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,884,668.76. The trade was a 49.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 60,326 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.87, for a total transaction of $4,335,629.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 187,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,491,148.92. This represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 415,387 shares of company stock worth $29,923,985. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

CocaCola 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.

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