Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Reaches New 12-Month High - Should You Buy?

Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $113.50 and last traded at $113.34, with a volume of 6340640 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $112.49.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SBUX. Barclays raised their price objective on Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Citigroup upped their price objective 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. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $105.33.

Starbucks Stock Down 1.4 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $126.94 billion, a PE ratio of 36.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $99.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $97.30.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 period in the previous year, the company posted $0.90 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Starbucks by 0.7% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 20.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 54,924,230 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $5,011,796,000 after purchasing an additional 9,174,682 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Starbucks by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,974,407 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $4,482,045,000 after purchasing an additional 437,218 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 27.0% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,128,649 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $2,292,989,000 after purchasing an additional 5,348,790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,826,001 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $2,259,516,000 after purchasing an additional 548,245 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.