Madison Investment Advisors LLC Invests $49.64 Million in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Madison Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 544,004 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,640,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SBUX. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Marshall Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SBUX has been the topic of several research reports. Redburn Atlantic restated a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price target (down from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.75.

Starbucks Price Performance

SBUX opened at $98.69 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $112.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.84, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $104.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.22. Starbucks Co. has a 1 year low of $71.55 and a 1 year high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.90 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Starbucks Co. will post 2.99 EPS for the current 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.