Ballew Advisors Inc Invests $207,000 in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Ballew Advisors Inc bought a new position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor bought 3,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the third quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ZRC Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 213.3% during the fourth quarter. ZRC Wealth Management LLC now owns 470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:KO traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $61.16. 13,680,433 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,194,525. The company has a fifty day moving average of $60.06 and a 200 day moving average of $58.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $263.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.65, a PEG ratio of 3.43 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 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 earnings results on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $10.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.68 billion. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 23.42% and a return on equity of 42.50%. The company’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th will be given a $0.485 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 14th. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.17%. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.23%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 17th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.00.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,594,097.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.94, for a total transaction of $15,063,636.72. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 442,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $26,968,753.24. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Nancy Quan sold 57,368 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 223,330 shares in the company, valued at $13,594,097.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742 in the last three months. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Coca-Cola 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.