Piper Jaffray Boosts Price Target on Starbucks: What It Means for Mutual Fund Investors (SBUX)

Before Tuesday’s opening bell, Piper Jaffray boosted its price target on Starbucks (SBUX). Here’s what the move means for mutual fund investors.

Piper Jaffray analyst Nicole Miller Regan raised her price target on Starbucks from $90 to $100. This new price target suggests a 12% upside from the stock’s current price. The analyst has also maintained an “Overweight” rating on the company, noting that she sees the company reaching a $100 billion market cap.

According to the analyst, “Starbucks remains an elite global consumer brand with highly attractive core business fundamentals that allow for substantial future growth opportunities across its portfolio. From a stock perspective, SBUX shares are favorably positioned within our “Next Layer” theme work whereby we identify the perfect “recipe” for a restaurant stock as one that combines Brand Equity + Asset-Light Growth + High Margin Licensed Sales. Further, the company’s strong cash flow generation support continued reinvestment into the business and an ongoing commitment to capital allocation.”

Although there could be some concerns for SBUX, including higher coffee prices, the company benefits from low competition and brand recognition. As far as valuation, the company appears to be fairly valued, but may be more attractive to a fund manager on a pullback.

Investors seeking exposure to Starbucks may consider a mutual fund investment as an alternative to directly owning the stock. The mutual funds below currently hold the largest stakes in SBUX.

The funds above offer investors a diversified bundle of securities and industries. Investors interested in Starbucks may also be interested in Dunkin’ Donuts (DNKN).

Shares of SBUX are up 4% YTD.