KBC Group NV Sells 148 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

KBC Group NV lowered its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 0.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 319,513 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 148 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $29,156,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 39.4% in the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 121 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Starbucks in the third quarter worth about $71,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $148,414.14. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. This represents a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 1.98% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.4 %

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $100.46 on Wednesday. Starbucks Co. has a twelve month low of $71.55 and a twelve month high of $103.32. The stock has a market cap of $113.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.35, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.99. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $95.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.71.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its 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 10.40% and a negative return on equity of 46.39%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.90 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 73.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on SBUX shares. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Redburn Atlantic reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.08.

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.