Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Buys Shares of 27,578 Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 27,578 shares of the coffee company's stock, valued at approximately $2,516,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 111,106,209 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $10,138,442,000 after acquiring an additional 784,432 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 27.0% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,128,649 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $2,292,989,000 after buying an additional 5,348,790 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,826,001 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $2,259,516,000 after buying an additional 548,245 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in Starbucks by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,868,817 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,448,030,000 after acquiring an additional 718,880 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $1,244,812,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Starbucks stock traded up $0.74 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $81.50. 9,784,353 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,491,129. The firm has a market cap of $92.58 billion, a PE ratio of 26.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $99.25 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $98.29. Starbucks Co. has a twelve month low of $71.55 and a twelve month high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. Starbucks had a net margin of 9.73% and a negative return on equity of 44.97%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio is currently 78.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wedbush upped their price target on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded 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, nine have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Starbucks has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.79.

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.