Stephens Inc. AR Lowers Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Stephens Inc. AR reduced its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 0.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 319,425 shares of the company’s stock after selling 724 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $19,814,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 62.5% during the 1st quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Group LLC raised its position in Coca-Cola by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares during the period. 68.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO remained flat at $58.33 during trading hours on Friday. 14,332,807 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,570,802. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $54.01 and a 52-week high of $64.99. The stock has a market cap of $252.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.55. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $60.70 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.74 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 43.06% and a net margin of 23.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.70 EPS. On average, analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.63 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 15th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 75.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Wedbush boosted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 27th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 50,000 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.66, for a total transaction of $3,133,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,984,378.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 21,074 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.90, for a total transaction of $1,283,406.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 18,360 shares in the company, valued at $1,118,124. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.66, for a total transaction of $3,133,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 143,383 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,984,378.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 227,364 shares of company stock worth $14,122,016. Corporate insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

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.