Howard Financial Services LTD. Invests $242,000 in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Howard Financial Services LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,653 shares of the coffee company's stock, valued at approximately $242,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 39.4% during the third quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks in the third quarter worth approximately $49,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new position in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at $71,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Starbucks Stock Performance

NASDAQ SBUX traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, reaching $95.13. 8,361,293 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,954,453. Starbucks Co. has a 1-year low of $71.55 and a 1-year high of $103.32. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $95.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.60. The company has a market cap of $107.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.99.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The coffee company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.80. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 46.39% and a net margin of 10.40%. The firm had revenue of $9.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.60 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.06 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.56%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 73.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SBUX. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Starbucks from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group increased their target price on Starbucks from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Starbucks from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.92.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 owns 80,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. The trade was a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company's stock.

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.