Skopos Labs Inc. Makes New $693,000 Investment in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Skopos Labs Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 7,219 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $693,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Starbucks by 3.0% during the third quarter. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,305 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $302,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 4.6% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 2,260 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $206,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 4.3% in the third quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 2,422 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $221,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 1.2% in the third quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 8,269 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $755,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First National Trust Co lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 5,033 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $483,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Starbucks stock traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $78.87. The stock had a trading volume of 10,744,425 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,282,116. Starbucks Co. has a twelve month low of $71.80 and a twelve month high of $107.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.34 billion, a PE ratio of 21.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.97. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $84.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $92.05.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The coffee company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.12 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 11.38% and a negative return on equity of 49.91%. Starbucks’s revenue was down 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.74 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 62.81%.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other news, CEO Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.39, for a total transaction of $277,517.50. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 81,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,933,582.61. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 3,750 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $300,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,431 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,234,480. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.39, for a total value of $277,517.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 81,199 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,933,582.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 7,750 shares of company stock valued at $642,050. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SBUX has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. HSBC decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $107.00 to $84.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Starbucks from $116.00 to $112.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Starbucks from $90.00 to $80.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $96.43.

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.