Auxano Advisors LLC Increases Stock Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 21,104 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 779 shares during the quarter. Starbucks makes up about 0.7% of Auxano Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Auxano Advisors LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $2,026,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Flossbach Von Storch AG lifted its position in Starbucks by 8,677.8% during the fourth quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG now owns 2,715,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $260,706,000 after acquiring an additional 2,684,470 shares during the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the third quarter valued at approximately $147,125,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in Starbucks by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,146,033 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $493,350,000 after acquiring an additional 1,591,206 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 481.9% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,547,411 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $148,567,000 after acquiring an additional 1,281,471 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Starbucks by 32.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,679,621 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $427,109,000 after acquiring an additional 1,154,020 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.2 %

SBUX traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $88.49. 11,803,508 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,409,757. The company has a market capitalization of $100.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.68, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.98. Starbucks Co. has a 52-week low of $84.29 and a 52-week high of $115.48. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $90.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.27.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 31st. The coffee company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $9.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.60 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 11.70% and a negative return on equity of 50.76%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.75 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Co. will post 3.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 60.96%.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other news, CEO Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.39, for a total value of $277,517.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 81,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,933,582.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,250 shares of company stock valued at $651,738. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on SBUX. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Starbucks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $100.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. BTIG Research decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $107.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $100.00 to $91.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.55.

Starbucks 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.