Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Lowers Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,051,076 shares of the company's stock after selling 61,177 shares during the quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $65,440,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. boosted its position in Coca-Cola by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 613 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of KO stock traded up $0.40 on Friday, hitting $71.69. 12,626,934 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 15,427,278. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03. The Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $60.62 and a twelve month high of $74.38. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $70.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $308.52 billion, a PE ratio of 29.02, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.23 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. Coca-Cola's revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.72 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.85%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note 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 report on Thursday, February 13th. Cfra Research raised shares of Coca-Cola to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 94,676 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,769,334. This trade represents a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at $3,749,745.02. This trade represents a 32.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 over the last quarter. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.