Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel Grows Stock Holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel boosted its holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 2.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,240 shares of the coffee company’s stock after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $387,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Collier Financial purchased a new position in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Three 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total value of $148,414.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. This trade represents a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $112.55 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $98.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $95.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. Starbucks Co. has a one year low of $71.55 and a one year high of $113.47.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 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 company posted $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.17%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.71%.

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.