Blue Trust Inc. Boosts Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 71.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,413 shares of the coffee company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,779 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $2,282,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 39.4% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $49,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

SBUX opened at $100.02 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $113.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.22, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.99. Starbucks Co. has a one year low of $71.55 and a one year high of $103.32. The business’s fifty day moving average is $95.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.53.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The coffee company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.80. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 46.39% and a net margin of 10.40%. The business had revenue of $9.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.44%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on SBUX. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday. Redburn Atlantic restated a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.08.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $148,414.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. This represents a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Company 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.