(Reuters) - Starbucks Corp forecast on Tuesday slower sales growth than Wall Street expected this quarter and plans to close about 150 U.S. cafes next fiscal year to boost performance, sending its shares down 2 percent after hours.

The worlds largest coffee chain is facing competition both from upscale coffee houses and lower-priced fast-food chains like McDonalds Corp and Dunkin Donuts.

It has missed analysts estimates for same-store sales in the U.S.-dominated Americas region in five of the last six quarters.