Flputnam Investment Management Co. Has $6.62 Million Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 112,380 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,994 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $6,623,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Keel Point LLC boosted its position in Coca-Cola by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 17,711 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,044,000 after buying an additional 1,710 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC raised its position in Coca-Cola by 35.6% in the fourth quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 30,634 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 8,048 shares during the last quarter. Sippican Capital Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 25.9% during the fourth quarter. Sippican Capital Advisors now owns 6,799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 29,587 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,744,000 after acquiring an additional 1,232 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Investment Group LTD. bought a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter valued at about $966,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.18.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total value of $3,138,000.00. Following 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.87, for a total transaction of $3,491,990.16. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 375,407 shares of company stock worth $22,795,742. Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.2 %

KO traded up $0.09 on Tuesday, hitting $58.23. 1,358,520 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,677,528. The stock has a market capitalization of $251.04 billion, a PE ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.13. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.51. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $51.55 and a 12 month high of $64.99.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $10.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.68 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.50% and a net margin of 23.42%. Coca-Cola’s quarterly revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current 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 given a dividend of $0.485 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. This is a positive change from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.23%.

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.