Rational Advisors LLC Sells 26,098 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Rational Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 97.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 779 shares of the company’s stock after selling 26,098 shares during the quarter. Rational Advisors LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $48,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Venturi Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 62.5% during the 1st quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 507 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Finally, Retirement Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.96% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Shares of Coca-Cola stock opened at $58.33 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $252.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.42 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.29. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1-year low of $54.01 and a 1-year high of $64.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $11.74 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 43.06% and a net margin of 23.81%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. Analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, September 15th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio is presently 75.72%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO John Murphy sold 156,290 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.10, for a total value of $9,705,609.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 228,830 shares in the company, valued at $14,210,343. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Coca-Cola news, SVP Monica Howard Douglas sold 21,074 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.90, for a total transaction of $1,283,406.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 18,360 shares in the company, valued at $1,118,124. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO John Murphy sold 156,290 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.10, for a total value of $9,705,609.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 228,830 shares in the company, valued at $14,210,343. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 227,364 shares of company stock worth $14,122,016. Company insiders own 1.00% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on KO shares. HSBC reduced their price objective on Coca-Cola from $77.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Wednesday, June 7th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $67.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. Wedbush lifted their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 27th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Coca-Cola from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.33.

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.