Apollon Wealth Management LLC Has $4.40 Million Stock Holdings in Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 26.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,206 shares of the coffee company’s stock after buying an additional 9,961 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $4,399,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. DT Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Starbucks by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 428 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 121 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. Finally, Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $56,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on SBUX shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 24th. BTIG Research lifted their price target on shares of Starbucks from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $96.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Wedbush lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $77.00 price target (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $105.33.

Starbucks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $112.20 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $97.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $94.57. Starbucks Co. has a 52-week low of $71.55 and a 52-week high of $112.62. The company has a market cap of $127.45 billion, a PE ratio of 36.19, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00.

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, beating 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Starbucks Co. will post 3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.17%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is 78.71%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total transaction of $148,414.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 80,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,975,542.96. This represents a 1.83 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.