The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Unigestion Holding SA

Unigestion Holding SA trimmed its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 591,844 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,124 shares during the period. Coca-Cola comprises 2.1% of Unigestion Holding SA's portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $36,848,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company's stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Excalibur Management Corp raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,831,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 3,616 shares of the company's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Atlas Brown Inc. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 21,024 shares of the company's stock worth $1,309,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 39,198 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,440,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

KO traded up $0.68 on Thursday, reaching $70.63. 10,515,877 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,237,631. The stock has a market cap of $303.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.55, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $69.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.36. The Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $57.93 and a twelve month high of $73.95. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola's previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Coca-Cola's payout ratio is currently 82.59%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on KO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $74.24.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $10,327,339.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $24,324,191.46. This trade represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total transaction of $1,344,732.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 over the last 90 days. 0.97% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.