DA Davidson Reiterates “Neutral” Rating for Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by DA Davidson in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $97.00 price objective on the coffee company’s stock. DA Davidson’s price objective points to a potential downside of 2.20% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on SBUX. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective (up from $92.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Tigress Financial initiated coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $122.00 price objective on the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Dbs Bank upgraded Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.93.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.4%

NASDAQ SBUX traded up $1.38 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $99.18. 3,160,529 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,741,895. The stock has a market cap of $113.00 billion, a PE ratio of 81.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.95. Starbucks has a one year low of $75.50 and a one year high of $104.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $95.87 and a 200-day moving average of $90.10.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Starbucks will post 2.31 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $58,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,378,800. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 6,958 shares of company stock worth $667,464 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Starbucks

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SBUX. NWF Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,349 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $366,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC increased its position in Starbucks by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC increased its position in Starbucks by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,138,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its position in Starbucks by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 409 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. increased its position in Starbucks by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 3,907 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $329,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keurig Dr Pepper and Nestlé will expand distribution of Starbucks-branded K-Cup pods in the U.S. and Canada, boosting packaged‑goods revenue and retail reach. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect North American comparable‑sales to outpace estimates for Q2, which supports the possibility of an earnings upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks plans a $100M investment to open a Southeast corporate/support office in Nashville (up to ~2,000 jobs), a multi‑year operational commitment to U.S. growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company affirmed its quarterly dividend and is rolling out a new protein overnight‑oats product (MUSH), signaling stable capital return and product innovation that can help traffic and ticket. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel raised its price target to $115 and several firms rate SBUX as a “moderate buy” on average, reflecting mixed but generally constructive analyst views. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Brady Brewer sold a small number of shares under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan — a routine disclosure that typically has limited informational value. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks is cutting roles in its technology organization as the new CTO restructures the team, which could lead to near‑term charges and execution risk on tech initiatives. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Employees are reportedly resisting relocation to the new Nashville hub, and the move has drawn negative headlines — potential distraction and talent retention risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have been penciled in for volatility ahead of the April 28 earnings print after a recent quarter that missed EPS estimates and given a relatively high P/E and weak ROE, leaving the stock sensitive to execution misses. Read More.

About Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is a global coffeehouse chain and roaster that operates, licenses and franchises coffee shops and related retail businesses. Founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker, the company grew from a single store focused on whole-bean coffee and equipment into a broad consumer-facing brand. Howard Schultz, who joined the company later and served in senior leadership roles, is widely credited with transforming Starbucks into a mass-market specialty coffee retailer and expanding its footprint internationally.

Starbucks’ core activities center on the retail sale of hot and cold specialty beverages, whole-bean and packaged coffees, teas and ready-to-drink products, along with complementary food items and merchandise such as mugs and brewing equipment.