Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) Trading 1.5% Higher – Should You Buy?

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)’s stock price was up 1.5% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $63.55 and last traded at $63.50. Approximately 3,124,887 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 13,846,980 shares. The stock had previously closed at $62.55.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on KO. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Cfra restated a “hold” rating on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Coca-Cola to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 27th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $74.00 to $73.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $78.00 to $76.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.50.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 1.4 %

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $65.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.65. The stock has a market cap of $273.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.24, a P/E/G ratio of 3.81 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.03. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.45% and a return on equity of 44.01%. The firm had revenue of $11.85 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th were issued a $0.485 dividend. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other Coca-Cola news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $6,403,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $21,933,220.38. The trade was a 22.60 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.97% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Coca-Cola

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. New Millennium Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Mount Lucas Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 2nd quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

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.