HighTower Advisors LLC Grows Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Posted by Geri Gentry on May 20th, 2026

HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX – Free Report) by 24.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,795,943 shares of the coffee company’s stock after buying an additional 350,364 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $151,236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its position in Starbucks by 11.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $7,229,968,000 after purchasing an additional 8,774,198 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Starbucks by 146.6% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,049,192 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $553,201,000 after purchasing an additional 3,596,014 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its position in Starbucks by 22.5% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,243,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,699,479 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Starbucks by 80.6% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,105,164 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $433,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277,792 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its position in Starbucks by 1.9% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $6,575,430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462,874 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $106.38 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $121.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.59, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.01. Starbucks Corporation has a 52 week low of $77.99 and a 52 week high of $108.88. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $98.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $92.70.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.41 EPS. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is 187.88%.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,053,565. This represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total value of $233,621.49. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 81,559 shares in the company, valued at $8,548,198.79. The trade was a 2.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 11,187 shares of company stock worth $1,111,085 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SBUX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. New Street Research set a $90.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.48.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Starbucks

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

Positive Sentiment: Wall Street commentary remains constructive, with articles highlighting Starbucks as a potential winner after its recent run and noting that the stock is attracting attention from analysts and traders. This reflects optimism around the company’s “Back to Starbucks” turnaround and improved earnings expectations. Is Starbucks (SBUX) Still Attractive After A 27% Year To Date Share Price Climb
Positive Sentiment: Starbucks announced a major restructuring aimed at boosting efficiency, including closing regional support offices and eliminating about 300 corporate roles as part of a broader $2 billion cost-saving effort. Investors may view the move as margin-accretive over time, despite near-term disruption. Starbucks Restructuring Tests Back To Starbucks Turnaround And Margin Hopes
Positive Sentiment: Several market notes point to Starbucks benefiting from stronger retail spending and upbeat earnings estimate revisions, suggesting fundamentals and sentiment are improving. 5 Stocks to Boost Your Portfolio as Retail Sales Continue to Soar
Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Starbucks as a “trending stock” and options-market activity mainly indicates heightened investor interest rather than a clear new fundamental catalyst. Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
Neutral Sentiment: Articles comparing Starbucks with other restaurant stocks and discussing its relative valuation suggest investors are still weighing whether the recent rally has gone too far. Better Buy: Starbucks vs. Dutch Bros Stock
Negative Sentiment: Starbucks Korea’s country head was fired after a “Tank Day” promotion sparked public outrage over references to a brutal military crackdown, creating a reputational overhang for the brand in an important international market. Starbucks Korea head fired after ‘Tank Day’ promotion sparks public uproar

Starbucks Profile

(Free Report)

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.