MUFG Securities EMEA plc Reduces Position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

MUFG Securities EMEA plc cut its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 99.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,945 shares of the company’s stock after selling 856,757 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $468,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. ZRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 213.3% during the fourth quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 1st. Finally, Argus upped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Coca-Cola currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.58.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

KO stock traded down $0.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $62.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 8,203,136 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,042,451. The stock has a market cap of $267.09 billion, a PE ratio of 24.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The Coca-Cola Company has a fifty-two week low of $51.55 and a fifty-two week high of $63.76. The company’s 50 day moving average is $61.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.90.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.70 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.01 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.41% and a return on equity of 42.74%. Coca-Cola’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.68 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.82 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 14th will be issued a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 14th. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is 77.60%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total value of $3,491,990.16. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 8,874 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.31, for a total transaction of $561,812.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 33,638 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,129,621.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 199,389 shares of company stock worth $12,322,179. 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.