Mather Group LLC. Boosts Stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Mather Group LLC. raised its position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 18,413 shares of the coffee company’s stock after buying an additional 1,669 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $1,768,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Flossbach Von Storch AG lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 8,677.8% during the fourth quarter. Flossbach Von Storch AG now owns 2,715,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $260,706,000 after purchasing an additional 2,684,470 shares in the last quarter. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $147,125,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 44.8% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 5,146,033 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $493,350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,591,206 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 481.9% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,547,411 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $148,567,000 after purchasing an additional 1,281,471 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 32.7% during the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,679,621 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $427,109,000 after purchasing an additional 1,154,020 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $88.33 on Tuesday. Starbucks Co. has a one year low of $84.29 and a one year high of $115.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $90.27 and a 200-day moving average of $94.27. The company has a market capitalization of $100.01 billion, a PE ratio of 23.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.98.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The coffee company reported $0.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.02). Starbucks had a net margin of 11.70% and a negative return on equity of 50.76%. The business had revenue of $9.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.60 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. Starbucks’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Starbucks Co. will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 16th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 60.96%.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CEO Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.39, for a total transaction of $277,517.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 81,199 shares in the company, valued at $6,933,582.61. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,250 shares of company stock valued at $651,738. 1.98% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Starbucks from $120.00 to $115.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Starbucks from $100.00 to $94.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Starbucks from $106.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Finally, BTIG Research cut their price target on Starbucks from $125.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $106.55.

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.