Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Shares Bought by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 1,076.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,612 shares of the coffee company's stock after purchasing an additional 33,500 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Starbucks were worth $3,341,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth $62,000. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 327,459 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $29,881,000 after acquiring an additional 2,722 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth $265,000. Wernau Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth $258,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth $9,497,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of Starbucks stock traded down $1.69 on Friday, reaching $85.57. 13,093,429 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,221,205. The firm has a market capitalization of $97.24 billion, a PE ratio of 27.60, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.99. Starbucks Co. has a 1-year low of $71.55 and a 1-year high of $117.46. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $88.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $96.58.

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

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.85%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 88.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on SBUX shares. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Starbucks from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $103.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Starbucks from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $76.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Starbucks from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Starbucks from $115.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $83.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $98.72.

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.