Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Shares Sold by L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP

L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP reduced its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 11.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,751 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 775 shares during the period. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted 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 period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. This represents a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $111.03 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $97.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $95.10. The stock has a market cap of $126.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. Starbucks Co. has a 1-year low of $71.55 and a 1-year high of $112.62.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 44.97% and a net margin of 9.73%. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the subject of several research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Redburn Atlantic restated a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 target price (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America cut their price target on Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays boosted their price target on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.33.

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.