CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.

Key Points

• Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. sold 3,783 shares of CocaCola, reducing its stake by 36.7% and leaving it with holdings valued at $468,000.
• Wall Street analysts show favorable sentiment towards CocaCola, with a consensus rating of "Buy" and average price targets ranging from $76.00 to $84.00.
• The company reported $0.87 earnings per share in its latest quarterly results, exceeding estimates and reflecting a 2.5% year-over-year revenue increase.

Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. lowered its stake in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 36.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,537 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,783 shares during the period. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C.'s holdings in CocaCola were worth $468,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MorganRosel Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CocaCola during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in CocaCola in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in CocaCola by 360.0% in the 1st quarter. Mizuho Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 460 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC boosted its stake in CocaCola by 148.4% in the 1st quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 477 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of CocaCola by 57.5% in the 4th quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 570 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KO shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $76.00 price objective on CocaCola and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. UBS Group cut their price objective on CocaCola from $86.00 to $84.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. BNP Paribas restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $83.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Monday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on CocaCola from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $81.00 price objective on shares of CocaCola in a report on Monday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, fourteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $77.21.

CocaCola Price Performance

KO stock opened at $70.75 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $60.62 and a 52-week high of $74.38. The stock's 50 day moving average is $70.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $70.02. The company has a market capitalization of $304.48 billion, a PE ratio of 25.09, a P/E/G ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.44.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.04. CocaCola had a return on equity of 44.91% and a net margin of 25.89%. The company had revenue of $12.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $12.55 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. CocaCola's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. CocaCola's payout ratio is currently 72.34%.

Insider Activity at CocaCola

In other CocaCola news, CEO James Quincey sold 266,403 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $19,197,000.18. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 275,946 shares in the company, valued at $19,884,668.76. The trade was a 49.12% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 37,396 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.10, for a total value of $2,584,063.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 209,513 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,477,348.30. The trade was a 15.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.90% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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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