Valeo Financial Advisors LLC Trims Stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lowered its stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 61,238 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 1,282 shares during the period. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $5,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Collier Financial purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its stake in Starbucks by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Friedenthal Financial purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $112.55 on Friday. Starbucks Co. has a 12-month low of $71.55 and a 12-month high of $113.47. The company has a market cap of $127.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.31, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $98.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.61.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.71%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $110.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Redburn Atlantic reissued a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 price target (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company increased 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. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price target on Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $148,414.14. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at $7,975,542.96. This trade represents a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

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.