Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) Short Interest Update

Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 43,810,000 shares, an increase of 31.2% from the April 30th total of 33,390,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 11,750,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.7 days. Currently, 3.9% of the company's stock are short sold.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus upgraded Starbucks from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Cowen downgraded Starbucks from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Starbucks from $105.00 to $90.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Starbucks from $115.00 to $100.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price objective on Starbucks from $95.00 to $83.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $97.92.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of SBUX stock traded down $1.12 on Thursday, reaching $86.99. 8,474,149 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 11,066,311. The stock has a market cap of $98.86 billion, a PE ratio of 28.06, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.00. Starbucks has a one year low of $71.55 and a one year high of $117.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $84.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.35.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a $0.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.80%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio is presently 88.41%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Starbucks by 0.9% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 112,059,570 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $10,991,923,000 after purchasing an additional 953,361 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Starbucks by 20.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 54,924,230 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $5,011,796,000 after acquiring an additional 9,174,682 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 27.0% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 25,128,649 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $2,292,989,000 after acquiring an additional 5,348,790 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 24,826,001 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $2,259,516,000 after acquiring an additional 548,245 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Starbucks by 22.3% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 19,414,472 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,904,366,000 after acquiring an additional 3,545,655 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

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.