Liberty Capital Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Liberty Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,660 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 277 shares during the quarter. Liberty Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $243,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 39.4% in the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $49,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $50,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC purchased a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $56,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.4 %

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $112.20 on Monday. Starbucks Co. has a fifty-two week low of $71.55 and a fifty-two week high of $112.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $97.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $94.70. The stock has a market cap of $127.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 78.71%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on SBUX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wedbush raised their price target on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.33.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,452 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.07, for a total transaction of $143,849.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,503,747.36. This trade represents a 2.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.