DZ Bank Upgrades Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) to Buy

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) was upgraded by stock analysts at DZ Bank from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Briefing.com Automated Import reports. The firm presently has a $75.00 price objective on the stock. DZ Bank’s price objective points to a potential upside of 9.12% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also issued reports on KO. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.41.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 1.7 %

KO stock opened at $68.73 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $296.08 billion, a PE ratio of 28.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53. Coca-Cola has a 52 week low of $57.93 and a 52 week high of $73.53. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $66.32.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.45% and a return on equity of 44.01%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Coca-Cola will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the third quarter valued at approximately $18,383,000. Balentine LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 92.4% in the 3rd quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 28,493 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,048,000 after purchasing an additional 13,685 shares during the period. Rice Partnership LLC increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Rice Partnership LLC now owns 102,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,397,000 after purchasing an additional 6,793 shares during the last quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 104.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sheaff Brock Investment Advisors LLC now owns 116,214 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,351,000 after purchasing an additional 59,503 shares during the period. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 87.7% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 18,189 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,132,000 after buying an additional 8,499 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.