Samjo Management LLC Reduces Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Samjo Management LLC lowered its position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,720 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 250 shares during the quarter. Samjo Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $1,252,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of SBUX. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of Starbucks by 12.0% during the 3rd quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 181,612 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $17,713,000 after buying an additional 19,406 shares during the last quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 4.0% in the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 468,505 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $45,675,000 after purchasing an additional 17,905 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Starbucks by 36.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 104,171 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $10,156,000 after purchasing an additional 28,103 shares in the last quarter. Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,086,000. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in Starbucks by 100.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,149,937 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,476,967,000 after buying an additional 7,598,146 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Starbucks Trading Down 7.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $82.10 on Friday. Starbucks Co. has a 12-month low of $71.55 and a 12-month high of $117.46. The company has a market cap of $93.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $105.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $99.36.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (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 period in the previous year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a $0.61 dividend. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 78.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus upgraded Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eighteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $106.12.

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.