Stablepoint Partners LLC Purchases 576 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Stablepoint Partners LLC boosted its position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 2.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 30,003 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. Stablepoint Partners LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $2,738,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 121 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the third quarter worth $49,000. Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

SBUX stock opened at $98.81 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $112.03 billion, a PE ratio of 29.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.99. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $95.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.25. Starbucks Co. has a fifty-two week low of $71.55 and a fifty-two week high of $103.32.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The coffee company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.80. The company had revenue of $9.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.60 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 46.39% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.06 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 73.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on SBUX shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wedbush lowered their price objective on Starbucks from $98.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Starbucks from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Redburn Atlantic reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.92.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $7,975,542.96. This trade represents a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

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.