QV Investors Inc. Acquires 90,840 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

QV Investors Inc. lifted its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 106.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 175,810 shares of the coffee company’s stock after buying an additional 90,840 shares during the quarter. QV Investors Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $14,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Transce3nd LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 270.3% during the 2nd quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 274 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Collier Financial bought a new position in Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $159,373.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,411,077.60. The trade was a 1.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,729 shares of company stock valued at $460,974. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SBUX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Starbucks from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $103.07.

Starbucks Price Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $90.37 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $102.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.69, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.95. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $95.40 and its 200 day moving average is $88.99. Starbucks Corporation has a 52-week low of $75.50 and a 52-week high of $104.82.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The business had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China JV closed with Boyu Capital — Starbucks finalized the joint venture intended to speed disciplined expansion in China and bring in a local partner to help scale stores and operations, which should support long‑term growth in a key market. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New U.S. partner incentives announced — Starbucks outlined a package including weekly pay, broader tipping on mobile/card orders, and a performance-based bonus program (up to $1,200/year) aimed at improving service, retention and sales; benefits to revenue are possible but outcome is uncertain. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational intent vs. cost — Management frames the moves as part of its “Back to Starbucks” turnaround to fix service and sales trends; investors must balance potential revenue upside from better in-store execution against the program’s roughly $500M scale and execution risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term stock reaction muted or negative — Despite the announcements, the shares showed little upside and in some reports slipped, suggesting the market is focused on near-term margin pressure, recent EPS misses, and the need for proof the programs lift sales. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and margin concerns — Analysts/commentary warn expanded tipping and bonus schemes could backfire or compress margins if service improvements don’t translate to sustained higher sales per store; ongoing union activity adds another execution variable. Article Title

Starbucks Profile

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.