Capital Research Global Investors Sells 3,278,421 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Capital Research Global Investors cut its stake in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 82,181,929 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 3,278,421 shares during the period. Starbucks comprises about 1.3% of Capital Research Global Investors’ investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.07% of Starbucks worth $6,920,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Starbucks by 86.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 176,722 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $16,126,000 after acquiring an additional 81,952 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Starbucks by 47.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter worth about $288,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in Starbucks by 92.8% during the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,225 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Starbucks by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 112,710 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $10,328,000 after acquiring an additional 7,978 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on SBUX shares. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Tigress Financial started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $122.00 target price on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They set an “underperform” rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, March 9th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.48.

Starbucks Stock Performance

SBUX stock opened at $95.29 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $108.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.19, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $94.10. Starbucks Corporation has a one year low of $77.99 and a one year high of $108.88.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 187.88%.

More Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Several articles frame Starbucks as a potential turnaround story, with commentary noting improving traffic, rewards growth, innovation, and margin-recovery efforts that could support a rebound. SBUX Down 9% in a Month: Is This the Right Time to Buy the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is reportedly tying part of tech workers’ bonuses to AI usage, signaling management is pushing harder on productivity and technology adoption, which investors may view as a margin and efficiency positive. Starbucks (SBUX) Ties Part of Tech Bonuses to AI Usage
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage comparing Starbucks with Chipotle argued that Starbucks’ turnaround looks more credible than other beaten-down restaurant names, which can reinforce investor confidence in the stock. Chipotle vs Starbucks: One Turnaround Is Real, One Is Just Smoke
• Neutral Sentiment: One article revisited Starbucks’ long-term returns versus McDonald’s, which is more historical context than a direct catalyst for the stock. If you had invested $1,000 in McDonald’s or Starbucks 10 years ago, here’s what you’d have now
• Negative Sentiment: Headline risk remains around Starbucks’ operations, including criticism of an “unreliable” AI inventory system and a separate legal-focused article questioning whether insiders breached fiduciary duties, both of which can add pressure to sentiment. “Unreliable” AI Inventory System Gone at Starbucks, Starbucks Stock (NASDAQ:SBUX) Ticks Down Did Starbucks Corporation Insiders Breach their Fiduciary Duties to Shareholders?

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 57,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,053,565. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total transaction of $233,621.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,548,198.79. The trade was a 2.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 7,046 shares of company stock valued at $708,911. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.