Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Reduces Stock Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 3.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 131,837 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 5,177 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $12,636,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. grew its stake in Starbucks by 1,578.9% during the 3rd quarter. Riggs Asset Managment Co. Inc. now owns 319 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 153.8% during the 4th quarter. Atticus Wealth Management LLC now owns 330 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Evolution Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.39, for a total value of $277,517.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 81,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,933,582.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders sold 7,250 shares of company stock valued at $651,738 over the last quarter. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of Starbucks stock traded up $0.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $88.25. 7,185,257 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,387,159. The business has a 50-day moving average of $90.36 and a 200 day moving average of $94.28. Starbucks Co. has a fifty-two week low of $84.29 and a fifty-two week high of $115.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $99.92 billion, a PE ratio of 23.60, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.97.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The coffee company reported $0.90 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 firm had revenue of $9.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.75 EPS. Starbucks’s revenue was up 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. Starbucks’s payout ratio is currently 60.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush dropped their price target on Starbucks from $95.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $102.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Starbucks from $102.00 to $90.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Starbucks from $100.00 to $94.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Starbucks from $106.00 to $100.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 18th. Fourteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $106.55.

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.