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

SFE Investment Counsel decreased its holdings in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 3.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of SBUX. Dakota Wealth Management lifted its stake in Starbucks by 0.5% in the third quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 55,793 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $5,439,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Weil Company Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 31.2% in the third quarter. Weil Company Inc. now owns 34,580 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $3,371,000 after buying an additional 8,222 shares during the last quarter. Maia Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 69.1% during the third quarter. Maia Wealth LLC now owns 18,582 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,805,000 after buying an additional 7,596 shares during the last quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 48.6% during the third quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 37,584 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $3,664,000 after buying an additional 12,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aljian Capital Management LLC increased its position in Starbucks by 48.5% in the 3rd quarter. Aljian Capital Management LLC now owns 30,422 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,966,000 after acquiring an additional 9,936 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

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 company’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $128.40 billion, a PE ratio of 36.46, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 last year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SBUX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Barclays increased their target price on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.33.

Insider Activity

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 transaction of $148,414.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,975,542.96. The trade was a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.