Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Shares Sold by Liberty Capital Management Inc.

Liberty Capital Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 9.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,660 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 277 shares during the period. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $243,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SBUX. Martin Capital Advisors LLP increased its holdings in Starbucks by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Martin Capital Advisors LLP now owns 33,109 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $3,021,000 after buying an additional 790 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $354,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 85,589 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $7,810,000 after acquiring an additional 1,674 shares in the last quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Starbucks by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Stockman Wealth Management Inc. now owns 113,059 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $10,317,000 after purchasing an additional 1,169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Family Capital Trust Co boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Family Capital Trust Co now owns 50,652 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $4,622,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, November 11th. Citigroup upped their target price on Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Redburn Atlantic reissued 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 set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.33.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $112.20 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $127.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. Starbucks Co. has a 1 year low of $71.55 and a 1 year high of $112.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $97.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.70.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 previous year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal 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 dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.71%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.07, for a total value of $143,849.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,503,747.36. This trade represents a 2.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.