Middleton & Co. Inc. MA Lowers Stock Holdings in CocaCola Company (The) $KO

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA reduced its position in CocaCola Company (The) (NYSE:KO) by 32.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,325 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,600 shares during the quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in CocaCola were worth $377,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 39,072 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,433,000 after acquiring an additional 4,591 shares during the last quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in CocaCola by 3.4% in the fourth quarter. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC now owns 8,795 shares of the company’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of CocaCola by 1.3% during the first quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 77,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,563,000 after purchasing an additional 956 shares during the period. Ascent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in CocaCola during the 1st quarter valued at $232,000. Finally, Forza Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in CocaCola during the 1st quarter valued at $200,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 13,548 shares of CocaCola stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.93, for a total value of $947,411.64. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 37,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,638,109.25. The trade was a 26.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Max R. Levchin bought 7,206 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $69.87 per share, for a total transaction of $503,483.22. Following the acquisition, the director owned 14,267 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $996,835.29. This trade represents a 102.05% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on CocaCola from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $76.00 price objective on CocaCola and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of CocaCola in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on CocaCola from $75.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and fifteen have given a Buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $78.31.

CocaCola Stock Performance

Shares of CocaCola stock opened at $69.04 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $67.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $296.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.30. CocaCola Company has a 12 month low of $60.62 and a 12 month high of $74.38.

CocaCola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 27th. The company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $11.40 billion for the quarter. CocaCola had a return on equity of 43.62% and a net margin of 27.34%. On average, equities analysts forecast that CocaCola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CocaCola Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. CocaCola’s dividend payout ratio is 67.55%.

CocaCola 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.