Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Stock Holdings Increased by Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 62,264 shares of the coffee company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,493 shares during the quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $5,682,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on SBUX. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Redburn Atlantic reaffirmed a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price objective (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Wedbush raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.75.

Starbucks Price Performance

SBUX opened at $105.47 on Friday. Starbucks Co. has a fifty-two week low of $71.55 and a fifty-two week high of $117.46. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $103.82 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.94. The company has a market capitalization of $119.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.02, 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. Starbucks had a net margin of 9.73% and a negative return on equity of 44.97%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal 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.