26,888 Coca-Cola Company (The) $KO Shares Sold by Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 33.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,914 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,888 shares during the period. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $4,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Horizons Wealth Management purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Atomic Invest LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 38.7% during the 2nd quarter. Atomic Invest LLC now owns 437 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Putney Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Timbuktu Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the second quarter worth approximately $41,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. CICC Research boosted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $100.00 to $104.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $93.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Coca-Cola from $92.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $97.26.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.9%

Coca-Cola stock opened at $96.94 on Wednesday. Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $67.27 and a 52-week high of $97.39. The company has a market cap of $417.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.51, a P/E/G ratio of 3.75 and a beta of 0.28. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.93.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.88 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 28.65% and a return on equity of 38.79%. The firm had revenue of $13.35 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.92 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.82 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Coca-Cola Company will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.35%.

More Coca-Cola News

Here are the key news stories impacting Coca-Cola this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Coca-Cola’s push into functional beverages is gaining traction, with fairlife, Powerade and smartwater growth, alongside innovation and capacity expansion, offering potential avenues for growth. Can Coca-Cola Benefit From Rising Demand for Functional Drinks?
• Positive Sentiment: Several articles emphasize KO’s durable brands and its 64-year record of dividend increases, reinforcing its appeal to long-term income investors. One report also notes Berkshire Hathaway receives about $848 million annually in dividends from its Coca-Cola investment. Coca-Cola’s Dividend Has Grown 64 Years in a Row Warren Buffett’s Coca-Cola Investment
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca-Cola India is advancing draft papers for an IPO. The report does not specify how the offering could affect KO financially. Coca-Cola India IPO moves forward with draft papers
• Neutral Sentiment: EVP Nancy Quan sold shares to cover tax withholding on vested equity awards and retained a substantial stake, making the transaction less informative as a signal about her outlook. Coca-Cola EVP Nancy Quan Sells Shares
• Negative Sentiment: Some commentary cautions that KO’s share-price gains have outpaced revisions to its earnings outlook, raising valuation concerns. Higher real Treasury yields and competing bond yields could also make dividend stocks less attractive to some investors. Coca-Cola Stock Keeps Setting Records Treasuries Now Offer 2.66% Above Inflation

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 67,548 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Monday, November 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.91, for a total transaction of $6,410,980.68. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 160,428 shares in the company, valued at $15,226,221.48. This trade represents a 29.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 20,585 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.62, for a total transaction of $1,968,337.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $21,354,814.60. The trade was a 8.44% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 249,498 shares of company stock valued at $23,025,238. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Profile

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a global beverage company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1886, it is best known for Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognized soft drink brands. The company owns, licenses, and markets a broad portfolio of beverages, including sparkling soft drinks, water, sports drinks, coffee, tea, juice, dairy and plant-based beverages, and energy drinks. Its brands include Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, smartwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife, and Costa Coffee, among others.