Starbucks Corporation Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (SBUX)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq:SBUX) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A- . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, impressive record of earnings per share growth, compelling growth in net income and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 0.6%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 12.7%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.
• STARBUCKS CORP has improved earnings per share by 19.4% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, STARBUCKS CORP increased its bottom line by earning $1.62 versus $1.24 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($1.83 versus $1.62).
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has exceeded that of the S&P 500 and greatly outperformed compared to the Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure industry average. The net income increased by 19.3% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, going from $279.30 million to $333.20 million.
• Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 30.42% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Looking ahead, the stock's sharp rise over the last year has already helped drive it to a level which is relatively expensive compared to the rest of its industry. We feel, however, that other strengths this company displays justify these higher price levels.
• The gross profit margin for STARBUCKS CORP is rather low; currently it is at 23.50%. Regardless of SBUX's low profit margin, it has managed to increase from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, the net profit margin of 10.10% trails the industry average.

Starbucks Corporation purchases and roasts whole bean coffees. It operates 6,705 company-operated stores and 4,082 licensed stores in the United States; and 2,326 company-operated stores and 3,890 licensed stores in Canada, the U.K., China, Germany, Thailand, and internationally. The company has a P/E ratio of 25.2, equal to the average leisure industry P/E ratioand above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Starbucks has a market cap of $34.34 billion and is part of the services sector and leisure industry. Shares are down 1.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Wednesday.

You can view the full Starbucks Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

For more information on Starbucks Corporation click any of the following:

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