Dillon & Associates Inc. Sells 26,415 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Dillon & Associates Inc. lowered its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 19.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 112,194 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 26,415 shares during the period. Starbucks comprises about 1.4% of Dillon & Associates Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd largest position. Dillon & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $10,210,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Runnymede Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Noble Wealth Management PBC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group increased their price target on Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on 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 restated an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Argus upgraded Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $106.12.

Starbucks Trading Down 2.2 %

SBUX opened at $97.07 on Monday. Starbucks Co. has a 12-month low of $71.55 and a 12-month high of $117.46. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $105.41 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.41. The company has a market capitalization of $110.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.31, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks 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.