Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Grows Stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 772.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,920 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,700 shares during the quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $184,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. BCK Partners Inc. acquired a new position in Starbucks in the first quarter worth about $2,640,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Starbucks by 7.3% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 27,634 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $2,514,000 after purchasing an additional 1,872 shares in the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 37.5% in the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 7,152 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $651,000 after purchasing an additional 1,952 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Starbucks in the first quarter worth about $198,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in Starbucks by 77.5% in the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 6,912 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 3,017 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, insider Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.03, for a total value of $305,597.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 84,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,912,906.59. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,000 shares of company stock valued at $375,665. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $85.17 on Tuesday. Starbucks Co. has a 12 month low of $84.29 and a 12 month high of $115.48. The stock has a market cap of $96.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.77, a PEG ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 0.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $91.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $94.57.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The coffee company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.02). The company 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%. Starbucks’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 4.05 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on Starbucks from $106.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $95.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Barclays decreased their target price on Starbucks from $116.00 to $112.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.71.

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.