Stratos Investment Management LLC Trims Stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Stratos Investment Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,620 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 486 shares during the period. Stratos Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $422,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $71,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $112.25 on Thursday. 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. Starbucks Co. has a 1 year low of $71.55 and a 1 year high of $112.42. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.07.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (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 period in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s payout ratio is currently 78.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,452 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.07, for a total transaction of $143,849.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 65,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,503,747.36. The trade was a 2.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.09% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup increased 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. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.