Fairscale Capital LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Fairscale Capital LLC reduced its stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 21.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 971 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 260 shares during the period. Fairscale Capital LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $89,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. Simplicity Wealth LLC raised its position in Starbucks by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 2,375 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $9,497,000. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 22,407 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,045,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. lifted its stake in Starbucks by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 7,243 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $661,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arjuna Capital grew its holdings in Starbucks by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 12,772 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,165,000 after acquiring an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of SBUX opened at $106.48 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $104.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.13. Starbucks Co. has a twelve month low of $71.55 and a twelve month high of $117.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.95 billion, a PE ratio of 34.35, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share 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 prior year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of 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 target on Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush raised their target price on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $105.75.

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.