Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) has been given an “A-” credit rating by Morningstar. The firm’s “A-” rating suggests that the company is a low default risk. They also gave their stock a three star rating.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on SBUX. BTIG Research lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $64.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Cowen and Company lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $65.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $68.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Piper Jaffray reissued a “buy” rating and set a $72.00 target price (up previously from $63.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Finally, Goldman Sachs reissued a “buy” rating and set a $69.00 target price (up previously from $65.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, October 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $66.80.

In other Starbucks news, CEO Howard D. Schultz sold 162,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.23, for a total value of $10,087,420.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 29,581,240 shares in the company, valued at $1,840,840,565.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Craig Weatherup sold 117,966 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.32, for a total transaction of $6,879,777.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Janus Capital Management boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 6.6% in the third quarter. Janus Capital Management now owns 16,848,916 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $957,708,000 after buying an additional 1,042,542 shares in the last quarter. Osborn Rohs Williams & Donohoe purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,067,000. Centre Asset Management boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. Centre Asset Management now owns 225,810 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $13,555,000 after buying an additional 64,470 shares in the last quarter. Stillwater Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Stillwater Investment Management now owns 39,435 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $2,367,000 after buying an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park National purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $319,000.

Shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) opened at 61.40 on Tuesday. Starbucks has a 12 month low of $42.05 and a 12 month high of $64.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.76 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $59.10 and its 200 day moving average is $58.77.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 21st. The coffee company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.01. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. The business had revenue of $5.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.39 billion. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Starbucks will post $1.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 4th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 2nd.

Starbucks Corporation is the roaster, marketer and retailer of specialty coffee. The Company purchases and roasts coffees that it sells, along with coffee, tea and other beverages, and a range of fresh food items, through Company-operated stores. It also sells a range of coffee and tea products and licenses its trademarks through other channels, such as licensed stores, grocery and national foodservice accounts. It operates through four segment: Americas, which includes the United States, Canada, and Latin America; Europe, Middle East, and Africa (NASDAQ:SBUX); China/Asia Pacific (CAP), and Channel Development. In addition to its Starbucks Coffee brand, it also sells goods and services under the brands, including Teavana, Tazo, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Evolution Fresh, La Boulange and Ethos. Its Americas, EMEA, and CAP segments include both Company-operated and licensed stores. The Americas and EMEA segments include certain foodservice accounts, primarily in Canada and the United Kingdom.

12 Month Chart for NASDAQ:SBUX

To view more credit ratings from Morningstar, visit www.jdoqocy.comclick-7674909-10651170.

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