Entropy Technologies LP Takes Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 8,894 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $812,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Starbucks by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the third quarter valued at about $49,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $111.03 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $97.32 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. 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, beating 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s payout ratio is 78.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $148,414.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. This trade represents a 1.83 % 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 corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. BTIG Research upped their target price on shares of Starbucks from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.33.

Starbucks 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.