SBUX Pivots Lower After Earnings Miss, Sales Forecast

Starbucks posted an earnings miss, but revenue that came in higher than expected

The shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) are down 0.4% at $78.39 this morning, after reporting fiscal second-quarter earnings of 32 cents per share, which came in below Wall Street's estimates, but revenue of $6 billion that exceeded expectations. Starbucks also forecast a 25%- 35% drop for its current-quarter sales in China. The company said it sees its Chinese market recovering by September, but expects the negative effects of the coronavirus to impact its business in the U.S. until at least the fourth-quarter of this year.

Even after a less-than-stellar earnings report, no less than six analysts came in with price-target hikes. This includes RBC, which raised its estimate all the way to $86. This put the consensus 12-month price target at $79.71, which is a slim 2.8% premium to current levels. Meanwhile, of the 22 analysts covering SBUX, 13 sport an unenthusiastic "hold," compared to nine calling it a "buy" or better.

Looking at the charts, Starbucks is up 57% from mid-March, two-year low of $50.02, though its 80-day moving average is putting some pressure on the shares. The equity is still down 10.8% for the year, and trading just south of its year-over-year breakeven level.

In the options pits, SBUX sports a 50-day put/call volume ratio of 1.55 at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), which sits in the 100th percentile of its annual range. This means long puts haven't been more popular in the last 12 months.