Howe & Rusling Inc. Has $11.19 Million Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Howe & Rusling Inc. boosted its holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 179,748 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,793 shares during the period. Coca-Cola accounts for approximately 1.0% of Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. Howe & Rusling Inc.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $11,191,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KO. Crowley Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Coca-Cola during the fourth quarter valued at about $40,000. 70.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Coca-Cola

In other news, COO Henrique Braun sold 25,277 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.47, for a total value of $1,806,547.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 52,466 shares in the company, valued at $3,749,745.02. The trade was a 32.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 145,435 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.01, for a total transaction of $10,327,339.35. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 342,546 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $24,324,191.46. This represents a 29.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 313,423 shares of company stock valued at $22,263,071 in the last three months. 0.97% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Coca-Cola Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE KO opened at $70.02 on Thursday. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52 week low of $57.93 and a 52 week high of $73.53. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.61. The company has a market cap of $301.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. This is a boost from Coca-Cola’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Coca-Cola’s payout ratio is presently 82.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Coca-Cola from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $72.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Coca-Cola currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.