Sentry Investment Management LLC Lowers Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 46.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 12,235 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,751 shares during the period. Coca-Cola comprises about 0.5% of Sentry Investment Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest holding. Sentry Investment Management LLC's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. REAP Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola 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 purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 41.9% in the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 613 shares of the company's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of Coca-Cola stock traded up $0.23 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $71.39. The stock had a trading volume of 13,559,872 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,760,504. The stock has a market cap of $307.28 billion, a PE ratio of 28.90, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.47. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $60.62 and a 12 month high of $74.38. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $71.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $11.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.23 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is currently 81.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on KO shares. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Coca-Cola from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 55,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $3,941,055.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 246,909 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,533,008.09. The trade was a 18.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 60,326 shares of the business'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 value of $4,335,629.62. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 187,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,491,148.92. The trade was a 24.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 496,164 shares of company stock valued at $35,671,587. Insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Coca-Cola 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.