By Colin Kellaher 
 

Shares of Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) edged lower in early trading Friday after Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock on concerns about China.

Goldman's analysts, led by Karen Holthouse, said they have "incremental concerns" about China's macro economy and company's same-store-sales trajectory in the region. They noted recent red flags about China raised by Apple Inc. (AAPL) and McDonald's Corp. (MCD).

Goldman also noted that Starbucks shares have risen more than 50% since they were added to the "buy" list in December 2014. The analysts downgraded the stock to "neutral" from "buy" and cut their 12-month price target to $68 from $75.

The analysts said they are "reasonably confident" that digital engagement initiatives by the coffee chain can drive a more stable comp growth trajectory of 3% to 4% over the next few years.

Shares of Starbucks fell 2.4% to $62.63 in early trading Friday.

 

Write to Colin Kellaher at colin.kellaher@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 11, 2019 10:09 ET (15:09 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more Starbucks Charts.
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more Starbucks Charts.