Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Buys 1,554 Shares of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC boosted its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 85,165 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,554 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $5,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Bailard Inc. boosted its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 129,073 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,036,000 after purchasing an additional 5,703 shares in the last quarter. Norden Group LLC raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 53,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,308,000 after purchasing an additional 2,494 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 16.6% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 38,411 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,383,000 after purchasing an additional 5,482 shares in the last quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Coca-Cola by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 54,899 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,418,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hickory Point Bank & Trust bought a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth $650,000. 70.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $71.20 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $64.53 and its 200 day moving average is $66.51. 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 $306.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 45.37% and a net margin of 22.59%. On average, research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is an increase from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.87%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 82.59%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Coca-Cola news, insider Bruno Pietracci sold 19,058 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.56, for a total value of $1,344,732.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,324,191.46. The trade was a 29.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 232,646 shares of company stock valued at $16,515,469. Company insiders own 0.97% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on KO shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. TD Cowen upgraded Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.24.

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.