Sabal Trust CO Purchases 5,353 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Sabal Trust CO grew its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 75.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,440 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,353 shares during the quarter. Sabal Trust CO’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $1,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel now owns 4,240 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 9,995 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $912,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,210 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,118,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Optas LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 16,711 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,525,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. Finally, Boomfish Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Boomfish Wealth Group LLC now owns 15,335 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,399,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Redburn Atlantic reiterated a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays upped their target price on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.75.

Starbucks Price Performance

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $114.59 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $100.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $98.00. Starbucks Co. has a 12 month low of $71.55 and a 12 month high of $115.24. The company has a market capitalization of $130.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

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.