PFW Advisors LLC Makes New $2 Million Investment in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

PFW Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 21,936 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Starbucks by 100.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,149,937 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,476,967,000 after buying an additional 7,598,146 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 55.0% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 19,779,859 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,928,339,000 after acquiring an additional 7,015,375 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Starbucks by 1,466.3% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,350,932 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $260,870,000 after acquiring an additional 3,136,992 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at $243,910,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 1,078.5% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,545,419 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $248,153,000 after purchasing an additional 2,329,431 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Starbucks news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 80,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,975,542.96. This trade represents a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.98% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Starbucks Stock Up 1.4 %

NASDAQ SBUX traded up $1.26 on Monday, reaching $93.51. The company had a trading volume of 6,908,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,958,891. Starbucks Co. has a 52 week low of $71.55 and a 52 week high of $103.32. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $96.13 and its 200-day moving average is $91.13. The stock has a market cap of $106.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.25, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.99.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The coffee company reported $0.80 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80. Starbucks had a net margin of 10.40% and a negative return on equity of 46.39%. The business had revenue of $9.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.60 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.06 EPS. Starbucks’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 3.11 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays cut their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $108.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. BTIG Research upped their target price on Starbucks from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Finally, Wedbush decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $95.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.77.

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.