Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Price Up 0.7% – Still a Buy?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) shares traded up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $65.10 and last traded at $64.98. 2,827,590 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 13,514,348 shares. The stock had previously closed at $64.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Hsbc Global Res raised Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Finally, Cfra reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $72.36.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The firm has a market cap of $277.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.91 and a beta of 0.61. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.45% and a return on equity of 44.01%. The company had revenue of $11.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.74 EPS. Coca-Cola’s quarterly revenue was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 80.17%.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $6,403,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,933,220.38. The trade was a 22.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Apella Capital LLC grew its position in Coca-Cola by 1.4% in the third quarter. Apella Capital LLC now owns 10,533 shares of the company’s stock worth $748,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Investment Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Investment Advisory Group LLC now owns 3,378 shares of the company’s stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares during the period. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.2% in the second quarter. Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group LLC now owns 6,871 shares of the company’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. CCG Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Coca-Cola by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. CCG Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Finally, Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.2% during the third quarter. Investment Partners Asset Management Inc. now owns 6,956 shares of the company’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Coca-Cola

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.