Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Thursday.

KO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Argus increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 22nd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.00.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.4 %

NYSE KO traded up $0.27 during trading on Thursday, hitting $63.10. 11,259,793 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 12,982,221. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $62.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 0.86. Coca-Cola has a 12-month low of $51.55 and a 12-month high of $64.36. The firm has a market cap of $271.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.24, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 57,298 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $3,551,903.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 167,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,358,962.93. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 57,298 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.99, for a total transaction of $3,551,903.02. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 167,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,358,962.93. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Cola Co Coca sold 598,619 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $925.00, for a total transaction of $553,722,575.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 1,883,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,742,280,050. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 822,284 shares of company stock valued at $567,718,040. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Coca-Cola

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. ZRC Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 320 shares during the last quarter. Tidemark LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Finally, ESL Trust Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors own 70.26% 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.