Buffington Mohr McNeal Buys New Stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Buffington Mohr McNeal purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,230 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Starbucks by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,305 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV increased its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Investment Advisory Services Inc. TX ADV now owns 14,194 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,408,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Starbucks by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,200 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in shares of Starbucks by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 2,260 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Herold Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Starbucks by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 2,422 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.03, for a total transaction of $305,597.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 84,153 shares in the company, valued at $7,912,906.59. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold 4,000 shares of company stock worth $375,665 over the last quarter. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $102.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Starbucks from $102.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $106.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Starbucks has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $107.43.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $85.42 on Wednesday. Starbucks Co. has a 52 week low of $84.29 and a 52 week high of $115.48. The company has a market capitalization of $96.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.84, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $91.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $94.53.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The coffee company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $9.43 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.60 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 11.70% and a negative return on equity of 50.76%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 4.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.96%.

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.