Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. Sells 1,802 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. cut its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,722 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 1,802 shares during the quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $12,476,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 39.4% during the 3rd 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 period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $56,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total value of $148,414.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.33.

Starbucks Stock Performance

SBUX stock opened at $112.20 on Friday. Starbucks Co. has a one year low of $71.55 and a one year high of $112.62. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.57. The firm has a market cap of $127.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.19, a PEG 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.71%.

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.