Zuckerman Investment Group LLC Purchases 584 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Zuckerman Investment Group LLC increased its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 114,070 shares of the coffee company’s stock after buying an additional 584 shares during the quarter. Zuckerman Investment Group LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $10,409,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Graney & King LLC bought a new stake in Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Starbucks Stock Up 11.3 %

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $88.68 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $103.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $98.92. Starbucks Co. has a 52-week low of $71.55 and a 52-week high of $117.46. The company has a market capitalization of $100.73 billion, a PE ratio of 28.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 78.71%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SBUX. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Baird R W lowered Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays boosted 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, Jefferies Financial Group raised Starbucks from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $76.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.12.

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.