West Paces Advisors Inc. Cuts Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

West Paces Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 188,528 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,552 shares during the period. Coca-Cola comprises approximately 3.1% of West Paces Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $11,110,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KO. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Coca-Cola by 12.2% during the third quarter. Insigneo Advisory Services LLC now owns 41,683 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,354,000 after buying an additional 4,527 shares in the last quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. HF Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 476 shares during the period. Wahed Invest LLC grew its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 61,355 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,435,000 after buying an additional 5,707 shares during the period. Cohen Lawrence B lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Cohen Lawrence B now owns 40,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,288,000 after acquiring an additional 1,111 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 46,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,738,000 after acquiring an additional 1,455 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on KO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.18.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total transaction of $3,491,990.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total value of $1,102,114.91. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total transaction of $3,491,990.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,594,097.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Down 0.1 %

Coca-Cola stock traded down $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $58.06. The stock had a trading volume of 11,232,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,817,067. The stock has a market cap of $250.31 billion, a PE ratio of 23.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $51.55 and a 52-week high of $64.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $60.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.51.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $10.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.68 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.42% and a return on equity of 42.50%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. On average, analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is presently 78.23%.

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.