Starbucks’ outlook remains bright

Article Excerpt

STARBUCKS CORP. $95 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol SBUX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.15 billion; Market cap: $109.3 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.1; Dividend yield: 2.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.starbucks.com) is a leading seller and roaster of specialty coffee. In Starbucks’ fiscal 2023 fourth quarter, ended October 1, 2023, sales rose 11.4%, to $9.37 billion from $8.41 billion a year earlier. On a same-store basis, sales increased 8%. That reflects a 4% gain in the average purchase size per visit, plus a 3% rise in the number of transactions. Despite higher spending on employee wages, benefits and training, earnings per share, excluding unusual items, jumped 39.5%, to $1.06 from $0.76. Earnings for fiscal 2024 will probably rise 17% to $4.14 a share, and the stock trades at a reasonable 22.9 times that estimate. The $2.28 dividend yields 2.4%. Starbucks is a buy. buy…