Stanley Laman Group Ltd. Increases Stock Holdings in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO)

Stanley Laman Group Ltd. grew its position in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) by 17.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,945 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,615 shares during the quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd.’s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hara Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Coca-Cola during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, MilWealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in Coca-Cola in the 4th quarter worth about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.26% of the company’s stock.

Coca-Cola Stock Performance

Coca-Cola stock opened at $69.48 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $299.28 billion, a PE ratio of 28.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a current ratio of 1.06. The Coca-Cola Company has a one year low of $57.93 and a one year high of $73.53.

Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) last released 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 return on equity of 44.01% and a net margin of 22.45%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $66.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Coca-Cola from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Coca-Cola from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $73.82.

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.