A UBS analyst recently slashed his recommendation for shares of Starbucks Corp. because investors stand to get burned as expectations for the stock is essentially boiling over with enthusiasm.
UBS analyst Dennis Geiger recently changed his rating on the shares to Neutral from Buy, even as he raised his price target by $6 to $78, Barron's reported.
Starbucks stock (SBUX) recently traded at $75.12, down 8 cents, or 0.1 percent.
“Improved same-store-sales momentum and streamlined operations better position Starbucks going forward, but we believe shares reflect this and expectations are now elevated,” he wrote, according to Barron’s.
“Starbucks reached record highs late last year as investors decided to back management in its quest to keep domestic performance going strong while the chain grows overseas. Since then, the stock has continued to climb,” Barron’s explained.
Geiger’s position, meanwhile, is largely in line with those of other Street analysts, Barron’s reported. The average target among those tracked by FactSet is for the stock to trade at $70, which is below current levels. The stock’s price relative to anticipated earnings for the next 12 months is near the five-year average, according to FactSet, Barron’s reported.
For its part, Starbucks has reaffirmed its longer-term revenue and profit targets and said it would buy back $2 billion in shares, as part of a commitment to return $25 billion to shareholders through 2020, Reuters reported.
The coffee chain counters sluggish performance in its U.S. business through a revamp of its stores and introduction of fresher food and cold brews that has driven market-beating same-store sales in the past two quarters.
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