Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty-three brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and ten have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $106.68.

SBUX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Starbucks from $102.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Gordon Haskett downgraded Starbucks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Starbucks from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Starbucks from $102.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 31st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Starbucks news, CEO Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.39, for a total transaction of $277,517.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 81,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,933,582.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last quarter, insiders sold 7,250 shares of company stock worth $651,738. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Starbucks

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Horrell Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.5% during the first quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,371 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $2,684,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Strategy Asset Managers LLC raised its stake in shares of Starbucks by 8.4% during the first quarter. Strategy Asset Managers LLC now owns 6,273 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Equitable Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Starbucks by 10.8% during the first quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 33,855 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $3,094,000 after acquiring an additional 3,291 shares in the last quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas raised its stake in shares of Starbucks by 3.5% during the first quarter. Smith Chas P & Associates PA Cpas now owns 482,943 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $44,136,000 after acquiring an additional 16,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Starbucks by 6.2% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 420,033 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $38,387,000 after acquiring an additional 24,531 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Trading Down 1.0 %

SBUX opened at $87.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $99.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.97. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $90.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.30. Starbucks has a 12 month low of $84.29 and a 12 month high of $115.48.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The coffee company reported $0.90 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.02). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 50.76% and a net margin of 11.70%. The company had revenue of $9.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.75 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Starbucks will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.60%. Starbucks’s payout ratio is presently 60.96%.

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.