Middleton & Co. Inc. MA Sells 3,436 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Middleton & Co. Inc. MA trimmed its position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 54,634 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 3,436 shares during the quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $4,985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel lifted its position in Starbucks by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel now owns 4,240 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Jmac Enterprises LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 9,995 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,210 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,118,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Optas LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Optas LLC now owns 16,711 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,525,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Boomfish Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 15,335 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on SBUX. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 target price (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.75.

Starbucks Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $115.81 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $102.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.49. Starbucks Co. has a 52-week low of $71.55 and a 52-week high of $116.09. The company has a market cap of $131.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. Starbucks had a net margin of 9.73% and a negative return on equity of 44.97%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Profile

Starbucks Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of coffee worldwide. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Channel Development. Its stores offer coffee and tea beverages, roasted whole beans and ground coffees, single serve products, and ready-to-drink beverages; and various food products, such as pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch items.