The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Persium Advisors LLC

Persium Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 71.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,929 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,446 shares during the period. Persium Advisors LLC's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Tallon Kerry Patrick acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $241,000. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,072 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,433,000 after purchasing an additional 4,591 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $24,472,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,795 shares of the company's stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the period. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 5,316 shares of the company's stock valued at $331,000 after purchasing an additional 703 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 0.6%

KO stock opened at $71.37 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $307.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.46. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $67.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $60.62 and a 52 week high of $74.38.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.02. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. The company had revenue of $11.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.23 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.72 EPS. Coca-Cola's revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is presently 81.60%.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CFO John Murphy sold 88,658 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.09, for a total value of $6,391,355.22. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 205,511 shares in the company, valued at $14,815,287.99. The trade was a 30.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total transaction of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,749,745.02. This represents a 32.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 440,664 shares of company stock valued at $31,730,532. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on KO shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Finally, DZ Bank raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $75.81.

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.

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