Gateway Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX – Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 7,340 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $658,000.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Phillip James Consulting Co. acquired a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Entrust Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Financial Freedom LLC lifted its stake in Starbucks by 296.2% during the first quarter. Financial Freedom LLC now owns 313 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Tigress Financial began coverage on Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $122.00 price objective on the stock. Zacks Research cut Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird set a $124.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $102.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $112.04.
Starbucks Stock Performance
Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $105.85 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $102.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $99.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.64 billion, a PE ratio of 60.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.98. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $77.99 and a fifty-two week high of $109.23.
Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $9.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 33.44%. Starbucks’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.50 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Starbucks Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Starbucks’s payout ratio is presently 187.88%.
Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks
Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Starbucks reported adjusted Q3 earnings of $0.85 per share, well above the $0.66 analyst consensus, while revenue of $9.32 billion also exceeded expectations. Adjusted EPS increased sharply from $0.50 a year earlier. Reuters article
- Positive Sentiment: Global comparable-store sales rose 7.9%, beating the 5.7% expectation, driven primarily by a 4.2% increase in transactions. North American revenue reportedly climbed 7% to $7.4 billion, reinforcing the view that traffic—not merely higher prices—is powering the recovery. Starbucks Q3 results
- Positive Sentiment: Management raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.55-$2.65, from $2.25-$2.45, and now expects full-year global comparable sales growth of approximately 6%. Expanding margins and faster service are supporting investor confidence in the turnaround. Starbucks turnaround and outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst reactions were generally supportive: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $120 target, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $125 and Morgan Stanley lifted its target to $115. Starbucks is also testing carbonated versions of its Refreshers, expanding its non-coffee product lineup for younger consumers. Starbucks carbonated Refreshers
- Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain mixed. UBS, Citigroup and DA Davidson raised targets to $112, $112 and $110 while maintaining neutral ratings; Wolfe Research kept a Hold rating. BNP Paribas Exane raised its target to $92 but retained an Underperform rating, citing limited upside.
- Negative Sentiment: Despite the operational improvement, revenue declined 1.4% year over year, partly reflecting the China joint-venture structure, and the shares trade at a high valuation after their recent rally. That valuation leaves less room for execution missteps or a slowdown in comparable sales growth.
Insider Activity at Starbucks
In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total value of $231,816.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 77,364 shares in the company, valued at $8,045,856. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 6,687 shares of company stock worth $679,033 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
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.
Further Reading
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