Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Lowers Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. decreased its position in shares of CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 88.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,116 shares of the company’s stock after selling 39,106 shares during the quarter. Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc.’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $358,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in CocaCola in the second quarter worth about $3,846,270,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CocaCola by 7,239.2% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,149,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $435,086,000 after acquiring an additional 6,065,840 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in CocaCola by 15.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 39,094,276 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,592,732,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135,198 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in CocaCola by 343.3% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 4,486,096 shares of the company’s stock valued at $297,518,000 after purchasing an additional 3,474,015 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of CocaCola in the 3rd quarter valued at about $226,443,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of CocaCola from $87.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of CocaCola from $79.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Morgan Stanley set a $88.00 target price on CocaCola in a report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $87.00 target price on CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have assigned a Buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CocaCola currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $84.60.

CocaCola Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $75.12 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $76.50 and its 200-day moving average price is $71.72. The company has a quick ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. CocaCola Company has a 52-week low of $65.35 and a 52-week high of $82.00. The company has a market cap of $323.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.71, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.35.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.56 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $11.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.04 billion. CocaCola had a net margin of 27.34% and a return on equity of 41.31%. CocaCola’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.55 earnings per share. CocaCola has set its FY 2026 guidance at 3.210-3.240 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from CocaCola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.74%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 23,880 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.37, for a total value of $1,847,595.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 17,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,371,383.25. This trade represents a 57.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 28,765 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.41, for a total value of $2,284,228.65. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 892,925 shares of company stock worth $70,254,796. Company insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

CocaCola Profile

The Coca‑Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage manufacturer, marketer and distributor best known for its flagship Coca‑Cola soda. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the company develops and sells concentrates, syrups and finished beverages across a broad portfolio of brands. Its product range spans sparkling soft drinks, bottled water, sports drinks, juices, ready‑to‑drink teas and coffees, and other still beverages, marketed under both global and regional brand names.

Coca‑Cola’s brand portfolio includes widely recognized names such as Coca‑Cola, Diet Coke, Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Minute Maid, Powerade and Dasani, and in recent years the company has expanded into the coffee and premium beverage categories through acquisitions such as Costa Coffee.