IFP Advisors Inc Acquires 14,872 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 31.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 62,517 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 14,872 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $3,892,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the third quarter worth $36,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. MilWealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on KO. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $69.00 target price on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

KO opened at $70.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12-month low of $57.93 and a 12-month high of $73.53. The business has a 50 day moving average of $63.87 and a 200-day moving average of $66.42. The stock has a market cap of $304.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.57, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.54%.

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.