Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Takes Position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 16,732 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,527,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 252,492 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $23,292,000 after buying an additional 11,771 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC grew its holdings in Starbucks by 174.5% during the 4th quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 25,902 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $2,364,000 after acquiring an additional 16,466 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,373 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $399,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 47,258 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $4,312,000 after purchasing an additional 2,681 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Minot DeBlois Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth $617,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on SBUX shares. Argus upgraded Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Robert W. Baird reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $85.00 target price (down previously from $114.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Guggenheim lowered their price target on Starbucks from $95.00 to $83.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $88.00 to $84.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Starbucks from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $76.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $98.72.

Starbucks Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $86.88 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $89.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $96.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.73 billion, a PE ratio of 28.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. Starbucks Co. has a 52-week low of $71.55 and a 52-week high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 29th. The coffee company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.10). Starbucks had a net margin of 9.73% and a negative return on equity of 44.97%. The company had revenue of $8.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.68 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.81%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 88.41%.

Starbucks 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.