Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases 3,956 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 88,771 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,956 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola accounts for about 1.0% of Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 27th largest position. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $5,231,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidemark LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 213.3% during the 4th quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Criterion Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

KO remained flat at $61.74 during trading on Friday. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 10,994,262 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,842,353. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $60.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.82. 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 52-week low of $51.55 and a 52-week high of $64.69. The company has a market capitalization of $266.17 billion, a PE ratio of 24.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.59.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $10.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.50% and a net margin of 23.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $13,594,097.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total transaction of $15,063,636.72. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $26,968,753.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total value of $3,491,990.16. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,594,097.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 375,407 shares of company stock worth $22,795,742 over the last 90 days. 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented 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 research 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 research report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.22.

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.