Heartland Advisors Inc. Has $2.44 Million Stock Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Heartland Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 26,735 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 758 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $2,440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Graney & King LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Down 1.1 %

Starbucks stock opened at $97.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $111.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $105.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $99.50. Starbucks Co. has a twelve month low of $71.55 and a twelve month high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its 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 negative return on equity of 44.97% and a net margin of 9.73%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. 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. Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Argus upgraded Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $106.12.

Starbucks 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.