The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Bought by Smartleaf Asset Management LLC

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 16.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 38,411 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,482 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $2,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Howard Capital Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.5% during the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Group LLC now owns 399,607 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,716,000 after buying an additional 2,069 shares during the period. Focus Financial Network Inc. boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.5% during the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 27,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,981,000 after buying an additional 1,189 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 6.7% during the third quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 20,727 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,489,000 after buying an additional 1,295 shares during the period. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 10.9% in the third quarter. Lowe Brockenbrough & Co. Inc. now owns 64,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,679,000 after purchasing an additional 6,346 shares during the period. Finally, Weatherly Asset Management L. P. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 8.4% in the third quarter. Weatherly Asset Management L. P. now owns 95,683 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,919,000 after purchasing an additional 7,431 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total value of $961,317.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 94,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,769,334. The trade was a 12.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 232,646 shares of company stock worth $16,515,469 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on KO. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. DZ Bank upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.24.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 0.5 %

KO opened at $71.20 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.51. 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 Coca-Cola Company has a one year low of $57.93 and a one year high of $73.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $306.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results 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%. Analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is 82.59%.

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.