West Paces Advisors Inc. Trims Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

West Paces Advisors Inc. lessened its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 148,527 shares of the company’s stock after selling 482 shares during the period. Coca-Cola makes up approximately 2.3% of West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $9,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 41.9% during the 4th quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. now owns 613 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of Coca-Cola stock opened at $71.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.58. The company has a market cap of $306.79 billion, a PE ratio of 28.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.45. The Coca-Cola Company has a one year low of $60.62 and a one year high of $74.38.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.02. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. The company had revenue of $11.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised their target price on Coca-Cola from $84.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $75.59.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total value of $10,327,339.35. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $24,324,191.46. This trade represents a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa Chang sold 13,445 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.50, for a total transaction of $961,317.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 94,676 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,769,334. The trade was a 12.44 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 313,423 shares of company stock worth $22,263,071 in the last three months. Company 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.