Sapient Capital LLC Sells 159 Shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Sapient Capital LLC lessened its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 5.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,881 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 159 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its position in Starbucks by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 327,459 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $29,881,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at $265,000. Wernau Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth about $258,000. Vanguard Capital Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $285,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at $9,497,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $93.26 on Friday. Starbucks Co. has a 1-year low of $71.55 and a 1-year high of $117.46. The stock has a market cap of $105.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $85.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $94.93.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 29th. The coffee company reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.10). Starbucks had a net margin of 9.73% and a negative return on equity of 44.97%. The company had revenue of $8.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on SBUX. Barclays dropped their price objective on Starbucks from $106.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Starbucks from $115.00 to $100.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Starbucks from $125.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $98.96.

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.