Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $104.24.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wedbush increased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Baird R W lowered Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. TrinityPoint Wealth LLC now owns 3,421 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR now owns 11,312 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,032,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of Starbucks by 7.1% in the fourth quarter. Wintrust Investments LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $128,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel boosted its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel now owns 4,240 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC increased its holdings in Starbucks by 10.6% in the 4th quarter. Foster Dykema Cabot & Partners LLC now owns 1,014 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $93,000 after buying an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $81.50 on Friday. Starbucks has a 12-month low of $71.55 and a 12-month high of $117.46. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $99.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $98.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00.

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. As a group, research analysts predict that Starbucks will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.