Stack Financial Management Inc Has $19.83 Million Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Stack Financial Management Inc cut its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 336,541 shares of the company’s stock after selling 9,913 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola makes up 2.2% of Stack Financial Management Inc’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Stack Financial Management Inc’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $19,832,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KO. Bailard Inc. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 17.2% in the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 120,658 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,110,000 after acquiring an additional 17,664 shares during the last quarter. BIP Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. BIP Wealth LLC now owns 34,456 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,031,000 after acquiring an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 91,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,418,000 after buying an additional 4,720 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 3,393 shares of the company’s stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wynn Capital LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth about $1,198,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.22.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.79. 3,240,801 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,897,646. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The Coca-Cola Company has a fifty-two week low of $51.55 and a fifty-two week high of $64.69. The company has a market cap of $266.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.87, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.59. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $60.07 and its 200 day moving average is $58.76.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 prior year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. Coca-Cola’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total value of $1,102,114.91. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $3,138,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,602,980. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total value of $1,102,114.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 375,407 shares of company stock worth $22,795,742 in the last ninety days. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.