Boston Partners Sells 2,815,756 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Boston Partners trimmed its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 99.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,636 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 2,815,756 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in Starbucks were worth $1,427,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wintrust Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $128,000 after buying an additional 94 shares during the period. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel now owns 4,240 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC now owns 1,265 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $115,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Mystic Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Mystic Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,665 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $243,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. Finally, Jmac Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 9,995 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $912,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Barclays raised their target price on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Argus raised Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $106.12.

Starbucks Trading Down 2.2 %

SBUX opened at $97.07 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $110.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. Starbucks Co. has a 12 month low of $71.55 and a 12 month high of $117.46. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $105.41 and a 200 day moving average of $99.36.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 44.97% and a net margin of 9.73%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Starbucks

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.