Blue Trust Inc. Raises Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 221.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 966,554 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 665,485 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola comprises about 0.8% of Blue Trust Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $60,178,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Coca-Cola during the third quarter valued at about $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the third quarter worth about $36,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the third quarter worth about $43,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC acquired a new position in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth about $40,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $68.00 to $70.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $69.00 price target on shares of Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $73.82.

Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $68.85 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $296.59 billion, a PE ratio of 28.45, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.61. The Coca-Cola Company has a 1 year low of $57.93 and a 1 year high of $73.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $62.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.36. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.04. Coca-Cola had a net margin of 22.45% and a return on equity of 44.01%. Analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Coca-Cola 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.