Dillon & Associates Inc. Sells 26,415 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Dillon & Associates Inc. trimmed its stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 112,194 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 26,415 shares during the period. Starbucks comprises about 1.4% of Dillon & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $10,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mountain Hill Investment Partners Corp. acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at $73,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 111,106,209 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $10,138,442,000 after purchasing an additional 784,432 shares during the period. Napatree Capital LLC raised its position in Starbucks by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Napatree Capital LLC now owns 4,791 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $437,000 after buying an additional 546 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Starbucks by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 2,096,630 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $191,382,000 after buying an additional 147,944 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banco de Sabadell S.A raised its position in Starbucks by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Banco de Sabadell S.A now owns 20,829 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,901,000 after buying an additional 524 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of SBUX opened at $97.07 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.41. The company has a market capitalization of $110.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. Starbucks Co. has a 1-year low of $71.55 and a 1-year high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 EPS 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 earned $0.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on SBUX. UBS Group boosted their price target on Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted 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. Wedbush lifted their target price on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.12.

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.