The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Stock Holdings Increased by Generali Investments Management Co LLC

Generali Investments Management Co LLC grew its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 9.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 84,430 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,193 shares during the period. Coca-Cola accounts for 1.7% of Generali Investments Management Co LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Generali Investments Management Co LLC's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $6,047,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,402,151,000. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 96.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 24,949,194 shares of the company's stock worth $1,553,337,000 after purchasing an additional 12,222,885 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 18.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 74,163,187 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,617,400,000 after buying an additional 11,569,920 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at about $500,192,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 34,103,772 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,123,301,000 after purchasing an additional 6,118,819 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 266,403 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 now owns 275,946 shares in the company, valued at $19,884,668.76. This represents a 49.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 88,658 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.09, for a total transaction of $6,391,355.22. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,511 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,815,287.99. This trade represents a 30.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 440,664 shares of company stock valued at $31,730,532 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. DZ Bank raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $75.81.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.6%

KO traded up $0.46 during trading on Friday, hitting $71.37. 9,519,460 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,795,047. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $60.62 and a 1 year high of $74.38. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $71.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.57. The firm has a market cap of $307.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.46.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.23 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.60%.

Coca-Cola 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.