Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-seven brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation, seventeen have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $105.75.

Several research firms have weighed in on SBUX. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $119.00 to $124.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Wedbush raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starbucks

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $351,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its stake in Starbucks by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 21,076 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,923,000 after buying an additional 2,031 shares during the last quarter. Wealthedge Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $263,000. Mattson Financial Services LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 31,970 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $3,117,000 after buying an additional 2,407 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aegis Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $307,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $98.11 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $104.82 and its 200-day moving average is $99.25. The stock has a market cap of $111.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.65, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. Starbucks has a 52-week low of $71.55 and a 52-week high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business posted $0.90 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Company 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.