Hickory Asset Management Inc. Purchases Shares of 4,475 Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Hickory Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 4,475 shares of the coffee company's stock, valued at approximately $408,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 100.6% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,149,937 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,476,967,000 after purchasing an additional 7,598,146 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its stake in Starbucks by 55.0% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 19,779,859 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,928,339,000 after buying an additional 7,015,375 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in Starbucks by 1,491.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 2,808,571 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $256,282,000 after buying an additional 2,632,087 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 1,078.5% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 2,545,419 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $248,153,000 after buying an additional 2,329,431 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at about $126,574,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX traded down $0.54 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $112.49. The stock had a trading volume of 8,265,260 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,902,459. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $96.77. Starbucks Co. has a 12 month low of $71.55 and a 12 month high of $113.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $127.78 billion, a PE ratio of 36.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.00.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the firm posted $0.90 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on SBUX shares. Redburn Atlantic reissued a "sell" rating and set a $77.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $105.33.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total value of $148,414.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,975,542.96. The trade was a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.09% of the company's stock.

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.