SBUX: Anyone for Coffee? By Jordan Kahn About this article: Starbucks reported a very solid fiscal fourth quarter. EPS topped estimates by coming in 3 cents ahead of expectations at $0.24 for the three months ended September and top-line revenues also beat guidance, ringing in at $2.42 billion. Same-store sales were also better than expected, declining 1.0% vs. 5.0% last quarter. And operating margins rose nicely to 10.4%, even though some whisper numbers on the Street were looking for 11%. Management noted that same-store sales saw linear improvement throughout the quarter, implying that business has continue to strengthen in recent months. The CEO said, "We are seeing broad-based improvement across our global business and are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming holiday period." The company also indicated that cost savings finished FY2009 ahead of plan, realizing $580 million in savings vs. the stated goal of $550 million. Food items contributed nicely to the average ticket size during the... Or, call us at 1-866-321-TSCM (8726) Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. Outside the U.S. and in Canada, call 1-212-321-5200. More Stories From RealMoney Durable Goods Up Move Down the Tech Food Chain Jobless Claims Still High Bulls' Tenacity Is the Big Question Mark Should You Buy It? Pharmaceutical Product Development Bad News Trumps All Support for Banks Holds, For Now Bummer, Yields Are on the Rise Money on the Line Makes a Big Difference Structured Products: Unsafe at Any Price MORE STORIES FROM REALMONEY

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