The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by AHL Investment Management Inc.

AHL Investment Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 1.0% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 115,765 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,135 shares during the period. Coca-Cola makes up approximately 5.7% of AHL Investment Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest holding. AHL Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $8,291,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Peachtree Investment Partners LLC now owns 11,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC now owns 4,993 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Excalibur Management Corp lifted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Excalibur Management Corp now owns 29,412 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,831,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradition Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aviance Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Coca-Cola by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Aviance Capital Partners LLC now owns 23,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,493,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $71.37 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $71.39 and its 200 day moving average is $67.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $307.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.03. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $60.62 and a 52 week high of $74.38.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.02. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. The business had revenue of $11.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.72 EPS. Coca-Cola’s quarterly revenue was down .7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 1st. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is 81.60%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on KO shares. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $76.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $75.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at $3,749,745.02. This represents a 32.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 88,658 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.09, for a total transaction of $6,391,355.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 205,511 shares in the company, valued at $14,815,287.99. This trade represents a 30.14% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 440,664 shares of company stock valued at $31,730,532 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

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.