Analysts Set The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Price Target at $75.81

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $75.81.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on KO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 28th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, March 27th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 266,403 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.06, for a total transaction of $19,197,000.18. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 275,946 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,884,668.76. This represents a 49.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 60,326 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.87, for a total transaction of $4,335,629.62. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 187,716 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,491,148.92. This represents a 24.32% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 496,164 shares of company stock valued at $35,671,587 in the last quarter. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 23.2% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,553 shares of the company’s stock worth $112,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares during the period. Wolfstich Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the first quarter valued at approximately $211,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 13.7% in the first quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 39,120 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,802,000 after buying an additional 4,717 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 33.2% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 539,563 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,016,000 after buying an additional 134,627 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $86,053,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 1.1%

NYSE KO opened at $71.23 on Friday. Coca-Cola has a 52 week low of $60.62 and a 52 week high of $74.38. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $71.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $67.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market cap of $306.59 billion, a PE ratio of 28.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.47.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.02. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.59% and a return on equity of 45.37%. The business had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.72 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Coca-Cola will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.86%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is currently 81.60%.

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.