Certuity LLC Increases Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Certuity LLC increased its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 37.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 3,325 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 912 shares during the period. Certuity LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,210 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,118,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 3.4% during the third quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 3,199 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Optas LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 16,711 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,525,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in Starbucks by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 15,335 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,399,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Foster Group Inc. raised its position in Starbucks by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,885 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SBUX shares. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Citigroup raised their price target on Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $148,414.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. This trade represents a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $113.04 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $97.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.37. The company has a market capitalization of $128.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.46, 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 $113.19.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.16%. Starbucks’s payout ratio is 78.71%.

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.