Arlington Partners LLC Boosts Stock Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Arlington Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 1.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,487 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 553 shares during the period. Arlington Partners LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $4,059,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Starbucks by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of SBUX opened at $112.20 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $127.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $97.12 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.70. Starbucks Co. has a twelve month low of $71.55 and a twelve month high of $112.62.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results 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 negative return on equity of 44.97% and a net margin of 9.73%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

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. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other Starbucks 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 value of $148,414.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,975,542.96. This trade represents a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SBUX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, November 11th. Redburn Atlantic restated a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price target (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.33.

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.