The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) is West Paces Advisors Inc.’s 8th Largest Position

West Paces Advisors Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 188,528 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,552 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola comprises about 3.1% of West Paces Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. West Paces Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $11,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 213.3% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of KO traded down $0.08 on Tuesday, hitting $58.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 11,232,504 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,817,067. The company has a market capitalization of $250.31 billion, a PE ratio of 23.45, a PEG ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.13 and a quick ratio of 0.95. The Coca-Cola Company has a fifty-two week low of $51.55 and a fifty-two week high of $64.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $60.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.51.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $10.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.485 per share. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total transaction of $1,102,114.91. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $8,602,980. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 18,551 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.41, for a total transaction of $1,102,114.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.18.

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.