This pandemic star is still shining

Article Excerpt

Starbucks has rebounded strongly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to its pickup-only and drive-thru locations. The company now plans to concentrate on adding more of those outlets under a new growth plan. It expects to expand to that number to 55,000 stores by 2030. That should make it the world’s biggest restaurant chain. These moves will continue to fuel Starbucks’ stock, which is now up over 80% since we first recommended it at $57 in our June 2018 issue. STARBUCKS CORP. $103 is a buy. The company (Nasdaq symbol SBUX; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 1.2 billion; Market cap: $123.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 5.2; Dividend yield: 1.7%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.starbucks.com) is a leading seller and roaster of specialty coffee. As of September 27, 2020, Starbucks had 16,637 company-operated stores (which supply about 80% of its sales) and 16,023 licensed locations. That makes for a total of 32,660 outlets spread across 83 countries. Stores in the Americas supply 70% of Starbucks’…