Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Shares Sold by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel lowered its stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,645 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 120 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $333,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 39.4% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the third quarter worth approximately $50,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on SBUX shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BTIG Research boosted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $105.33.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $113.04 on Thursday. Starbucks Co. has a 1 year low of $71.55 and a 1 year high of $113.19. The firm has a market cap of $128.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.46, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $97.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $95.49.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Starbucks news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total value of $148,414.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. The trade was a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.