GPM Growth Investors Inc. Sells 774 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

GPM Growth Investors Inc. lowered its holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 11.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,066 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 774 shares during the period. GPM Growth Investors Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $554,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SBUX. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth about $284,283,000. Promus Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $111,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth approximately $302,000. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 327,459 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $29,881,000 after purchasing an additional 2,722 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 10.3% during the fourth quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC now owns 7,647 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $698,000 after purchasing an additional 714 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, January 27th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.75.

Starbucks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $111.69 on Thursday. Starbucks Co. has a fifty-two week low of $71.55 and a fifty-two week high of $117.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $126.87 billion, a PE ratio of 36.03, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $103.55 and its 200 day moving average is $98.89.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 EPS 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 previous year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

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.