Kercheville Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Kercheville Advisors LLC reduced its position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,075 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 350 shares during the quarter. Starbucks comprises about 1.6% of Kercheville Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Kercheville Advisors LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $4,022,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SBUX. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,210 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $2,118,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Riverview Trust Co grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 3,199 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Optas LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 15,335 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Finally, Foster Group Inc. grew its holdings in Starbucks by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Foster Group Inc. now owns 2,885 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at $7,975,542.96. The trade was a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $112.25 on Thursday. Starbucks Co. has a 12 month low of $71.55 and a 12 month high of $112.42. The company has a market cap of $127.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.21, a PEG ratio of 3.40 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $96.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $94.07.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.01. Starbucks had a net margin of 9.73% and a negative return on equity of 44.97%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. BTIG Research increased their target price on Starbucks from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.33.

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.