Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Boosts Stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 281,973 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,735 shares during the period. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $17,556,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Howard Capital Management Group LLC increased its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.5% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 399,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,716,000 after buying an additional 2,069 shares in the last quarter. United Bank grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 65.4% in the 3rd quarter. United Bank now owns 80,888 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,813,000 after acquiring an additional 31,979 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Coca-Cola by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,784 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,494,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 336.8% during the third quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC now owns 51,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,711,000 after purchasing an additional 39,816 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth $2,683,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of KO stock opened at $69.33 on Thursday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $298.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57. The Coca-Cola Company has a one year low of $57.93 and a one year high of $73.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $66.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.94%. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 55,500 shares of the company’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 sale, the insider now owns 246,909 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $17,533,008.09. This represents a 18.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 52,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,749,745.02. This trade represents a 32.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Coca-Cola has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.24.

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.