Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Shares Purchased by Soros Capital Management LLC

Soros Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 85.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,640 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,055 shares during the quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $606,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Graney & King LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Collier Financial acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Marshall Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Baird R W downgraded Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.79.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $81.50 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $99.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $98.29. Starbucks Co. has a 1-year low of $71.55 and a 1-year high of $117.46. The company has a market capitalization of $92.58 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued 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 negative return on equity of 44.97% and a net margin of 9.73%. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.99%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.71%.

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.