The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Bought by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 3.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 96,155 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,616 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $5,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, ZRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 213.3% during the fourth quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com cut shares of Coca-Cola from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Monday, June 24th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total value of $553,722,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 1,883,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,742,280,050. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Nikolaos Koumettis sold 80,891 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.34, for a total value of $5,042,744.94. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 218,880 shares in the company, valued at $13,644,979.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total value of $553,722,575.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,742,280,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 841,588 shares of company stock valued at $568,972,027. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of KO stock traded up $0.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $67.05. The stock had a trading volume of 13,512,053 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,875,658. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $288.85 billion, a PE ratio of 26.65, a PEG ratio of 3.71 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $63.40 and its 200 day moving average is $61.44. The Coca-Cola Company has a twelve month low of $51.55 and a twelve month high of $67.10.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.92% and a return on equity of 43.62%. The company had revenue of $12.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.78 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.78 EPS. Coca-Cola’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th were paid a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 77.60%.

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.