Starbucks Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Stock traders acquired 93,303 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 43% compared to the average volume of 65,074 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, insider Michael Aaron Conway sold 3,250 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.03, for a total value of $305,597.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 84,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,912,906.59. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,250 shares of company stock worth $651,738. 1.98% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Starbucks by 3.0% during the third quarter. Willow Creek Wealth Management Inc. now owns 3,305 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Valley Brook Capital Group Inc. now owns 4,200 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 2,260 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $206,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 2,422 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $221,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rodgers Brothers Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Rodgers Brothers Inc. now owns 8,269 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $755,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Starbucks from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 1st. HSBC dropped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $107.00 to $84.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. DZ Bank cut shares of Starbucks from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $75.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $120.00 to $92.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $96.43.

Starbucks Stock Down 0.3 %

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $72.90 on Tuesday. Starbucks has a 12-month low of $72.67 and a 12-month high of $108.12. The company has a market capitalization of $82.57 billion, a PE ratio of 20.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $88.46 and its 200-day moving average is $93.69.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The coffee company reported $0.68 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.11). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 49.91% and a net margin of 11.38%. The firm had revenue of $8.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.12 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.74 earnings per share. Starbucks’s quarterly revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Starbucks will post 3.63 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.13%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.81%.

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.