Starbucks (SBUX)

Price momentum is not great. Valuation is not fantastic at 14 times. They issue a bit on the last quarter. They just were not able to grow at the previous pace.

When a big US name goes up he wonders if Amazon is going into their space. It is a high price. They are spending a lot on defensive strategies to knock out the competition.

Feels this is transitioning from a very high growth company to a slower growth, and that it is fully valued.

(Market Call Minute.) A great company, and he would classify it as a Weak Buy to a Hold. If it dropped another 10% he would definitely be a buyer.

Discretionary, as a whole, has really struggled. It tends to be more idiosyncratic in that it is more sub-sector focused. Within restaurants and hotels, it has been great. This company has really come back, however it has pulled back pretty substantially from the $65 price, so technically, you might be a little wary. The group is neutral. It’s not the best neighbourhood to be looking in. He would prefer a McDonald’s (MCD-N) at this time, which has more fundamental levers.

A great business. They’ve done an excellent job at creating a cult-like following. Started with the Starbucks card, and more than a 3^rd of all transactions are done with the card. They are innovating. The mobile order and pay has really taken off. Some locations also have wine and beer. It is not just a coffee shop, it’s a coffee shop that is continuing to innovate and work itself into different occasions. However, you pay a high multiple for it, but he thinks it is worth it. Trading at about 28X with a yield of about 1.8%. You could take a half position and wait for some weakness.

This has built a great franchise, and the franchise is becoming much more global. They are very unique in that they are very open to making changes when it is necessary, not only for their coffee, but also how they treat clients. There is still a lot of opportunity for them to grow globally. A good story.

He likes this. A great brand name. At this point, he is just a little more skeptical. The valuation is so high. It is just saturated with growth. You are paying a lot, and you are not going to have quite the growth potential a decade ago.

One of his absolute favourite names. This is breaking out of the range it was in. Thinks the new real story on this is their food comps. Feels their food is going to add $8-$12 in share price in the next 12 months. They are growing with new stores and with suggestive selling.

He likes consumer names in areas where the middle class is growing, which is Asia. About 14% of their stores are in Asia. The company is going to see nice, double digit earnings growth, driving high margin expansion. He likes their global exposure. Dividend yield of 1.6%. (Analysts’ price target is $66.)

It would be okay as a dividend grower. But these stocks get to a point of saturation so he questions the growth rate. However, it is a safe stock. Do not expect it to appreciate much. The growth phase is over and it is dead money. It will be difficult for this company to grow. The coffee at Tim Horton’s is just as good.

He was disappointed after the market today, but that is an opportunity for anyone who wants to pick this up tomorrow. They had a big issue with congestion in mobile ordering, but that is a good problem to have. Have all kinds of developments in cold and fresh food. Dividend yield of 1.6%. (Analysts’ price target is $65.)

(Top Pick Nov 9/16, Up 13%) You can own it for the long term. They are 15 years behind McDonalds. They are reacting well to changing trends. It was going sideways for about a year and is still off its peak so there is plenty of opportunity.

Held this for about 2-2.5 years, and just sold his holdings recently. Valuations were getting a little rich. Trading at 26X forward earnings. Although the long-term growth rate is around 15%, the PEG ratio is still going to be up around .6X. More importantly, same-store sales have slowed to its lowest pace since 2009. A great franchise, and long term they will do well by going to the international markets.

Trading at one of the lowest premiums to the S&P than it has for a long time. A great business. Very strong brand. Have had some operational issues lately, partly to do with their North American operations; the new mobile app and issues it has created in the stores. They are working through that. Also, China is very important for them. Generates great returns. Well run and getting cheaper than what it was. Still not cheap though. When he thinks it is appropriate, he will Buy. Dividend yield of 1.8%.