The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) Shares Sold by Calamos Advisors LLC

Calamos Advisors LLC decreased its stake in shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 11.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,127,992 shares of the company’s stock after selling 144,585 shares during the period. Calamos Advisors LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $66,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KO. Hibernia Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 320 shares during the period. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE KO traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $58.91. 11,109,007 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,781,049. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12 month low of $51.55 and a 12 month high of $64.99. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $253.97 billion, a PE ratio of 23.74, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50 day moving average of $59.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $58.52.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm’s revenue was up 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.485 per share. This represents a $1.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is 78.23%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $3,138,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,602,980. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Coca-Cola news, EVP Beatriz R. Perez sold 52,300 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.00, for a total transaction of $3,138,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 143,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,602,980. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 247,188 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 22nd. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $26,968,753.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 375,407 shares of company stock valued at $22,795,742. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on KO shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective 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 objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.18.

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.