West Branch Capital LLC Increases Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

West Branch Capital LLC boosted its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,807 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,835 shares during the period. West Branch Capital LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $2,229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Coca-Cola during the second quarter worth $27,000. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $62.39 on Wednesday. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $57.93 and a 1-year high of $73.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $268.76 billion, a PE ratio of 25.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 1.06 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $62.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.45.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $74.00 price target for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $66.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $82.00 to $72.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $72.13.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $64.03, for a total value of $6,403,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares in the company, valued at $21,933,220.38. This represents a 22.60 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.