The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Sandhill Capital Partners LLC

Sandhill Capital Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 66,360 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,527 shares during the period. Sandhill Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $3,911,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KO. ZRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 213.3% in the fourth quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares during the period. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Avion Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 64.8% during the fourth quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 819 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clear Investment Research LLC boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 36.1% during the third quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC now owns 928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KO traded up $0.20 during trading on Thursday, reaching $61.75. The stock had a trading volume of 19,043,521 shares, compared to its average volume of 14,033,869. The Coca-Cola Company has a one year low of $51.55 and a one year high of $64.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. The stock has a market cap of $266.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $60.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.74.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 78.23%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KO. Citigroup raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.09.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $3,138,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,602,980. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $3,138,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,602,980. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

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.