Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. Buys 131 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. grew its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 6,916 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Riverview Trust Co lifted its position in Starbucks by 3.4% during the third quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 3,199 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares during the period. Essex Savings Bank raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Essex Savings Bank now owns 7,250 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $707,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 6,909 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $674,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Starbucks by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Childress Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Starbucks by 4.8% in the third quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,727 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $266,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $148,414.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at $7,975,542.96. The trade was a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $95.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $107.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.99. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $95.84 and its 200 day moving average is $91.50. Starbucks Co. has a one year low of $71.55 and a one year high of $103.32.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The coffee company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.80. Starbucks had a net margin of 10.40% and a negative return on equity of 46.39%. The firm had revenue of $9.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.06 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Starbucks Co. will post 3.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. Starbucks’s payout ratio is currently 73.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SBUX shares. Royal Bank of Canada started coverage on Starbucks in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $115.00 target price for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Starbucks from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $92.00 to $115.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.92.

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.