Analysts Set Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Target Price at $103.77

Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-nine research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.77.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Starbucks from a “hold” rating to an “underperform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $80.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 24th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,452 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.07, for a total value of $143,849.64. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,503,747.36. This trade represents a 2.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Fairfield Financial Advisors LTD purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 39.4% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the third quarter worth $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $92.58 on Wednesday. Starbucks has a 12 month low of $71.55 and a 12 month high of $103.32. The firm has a market cap of $104.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.97, a PEG ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $96.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.45.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The coffee company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.80. The company had revenue of $9.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.60 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 46.39% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.06 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 73.72%.

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.