Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $113.68.

Several research firms recently commented on SBUX. Wedbush cut their target price on Starbucks from $112.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Wednesday, August 2nd. StockNews.com cut Starbucks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Starbucks from $104.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 5th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Starbucks from $107.00 to $100.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $125.00 to $120.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $100.01 on Friday. Starbucks has a 52-week low of $82.97 and a 52-week high of $115.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $114.55 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.98. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $94.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.30.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 2nd. The coffee company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $9.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.29 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 10.81% and a negative return on equity of 44.46%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Starbucks will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 24th. Investors of record on Friday, November 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.28%. This is a boost from Starbucks’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 9th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. America First Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks in the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Freedom Wealth Alliance LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Moser Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the second quarter worth about $30,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Starbucks by 3,222.2% in the 1st quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 299 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 70.13% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Company Profile

Starbucks Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of specialty 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.