Raiffeisen Bank International AG Buys New Shares in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Raiffeisen Bank International AG purchased a new position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 45,307 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,810,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. grew its holdings 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. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KO traded up $0.40 during trading on Friday, hitting $72.01. 18,402,515 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,667,702. The company has a market cap of $309.93 billion, a PE ratio of 29.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $70.88 and a 200 day moving average of $66.77. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $60.62 and a 52-week high of $74.38. 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 posted its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.23 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.72 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given 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 dividend yield of 2.83%. Coca-Cola's dividend payout ratio is currently 81.60%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 60,326 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $13,491,148.92. This trade represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 462,407 shares of company stock worth $32,990,056 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on KO shares. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.59.

About Coca-Cola

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.