Vaughan David Investments LLC IL Lowers Stock Holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Vaughan David Investments LLC IL lowered its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 15,671 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 2,200 shares during the period. Vaughan David Investments LLC IL’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $1,430,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 100.6% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,149,937 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,476,967,000 after purchasing an additional 7,598,146 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 55.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 19,779,859 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,928,339,000 after purchasing an additional 7,015,375 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in Starbucks by 1,491.4% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,808,571 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $256,282,000 after buying an additional 2,632,087 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 1,078.5% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,545,419 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $248,153,000 after buying an additional 2,329,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at $126,574,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on SBUX shares. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Redburn Atlantic restated a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. UBS Group raised their price target on Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.75.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.2 %

SBUX opened at $114.59 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $130.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $100.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $98.00. Starbucks Co. has a 12-month low of $71.55 and a 12-month high of $115.24.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 period last year, the business posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

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.