UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $78.00 to $84.00 in a research report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the stock. UBS Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 15.38% from the stock's current price.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 28th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $75.06.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:KO traded down $0.20 during trading on Thursday, hitting $72.80. The company had a trading volume of 15,716,116 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,388,848. The stock has a market cap of $313.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.36. Coca-Cola has a one year low of $59.72 and a one year high of $73.95.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Coca-Cola will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 55,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the insider now owns 246,909 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,533,008.09. The trade was a 18.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, 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 ninety days, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 89.5% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 6,390 shares of the company's stock valued at $458,000 after buying an additional 3,018 shares in the last quarter. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 15.0% during the 1st quarter. Investment Research & Advisory Group Inc. now owns 3,275 shares of the company's stock valued at $235,000 after buying an additional 427 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 1,849,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,457,000 after acquiring an additional 36,503 shares during the period. Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Walter & Keenan Wealth Management LLC IN ADV now owns 40,729 shares of the company's stock worth $2,917,000 after acquiring an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silver Oak Securities Incorporated raised its position in Coca-Cola by 6.2% during the first quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 10,826 shares of the company's stock worth $762,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.