Hilltop Holdings Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Hilltop Holdings Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 64.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,981 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 19,635 shares during the quarter. Hilltop Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $984,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,410,675 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $9,634,523,000 after acquiring an additional 971,773 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 84,727,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $7,135,228,000 after acquiring an additional 7,007,268 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,869,056 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $4,031,053,000 after purchasing an additional 327,161 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,373,084 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,212,153,000 after purchasing an additional 225,168 shares during the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 65.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,637,704,000 after purchasing an additional 7,725,547 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SBUX has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They set an “outperform” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $111.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $108.00 target price (up from $101.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Starbucks from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.42.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total value of $231,816.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 77,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,045,856. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,053,565. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 8,687 shares of company stock worth $889,033. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS said Starbucks is likely to report continued sales momentum in fiscal Q3, pointing to progress in its turnaround efforts and stronger near-term demand trends. Starbucks Sales Momentum Likely Continued in Fiscal Q3, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: UBS also said Starbucks’ turnaround strategy could drive U.S. comparable sales above consensus expectations, which supports the bullish case ahead of earnings. Starbucks’ Turnaround Strategy Could Drive US Comparable Sale Upside, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple pre-earnings previews note improving traffic, loyalty momentum, and product innovation, reinforcing expectations that Starbucks may be stabilizing operations. Starbucks Q3 Earnings Ahead: Buy, Sell or Hold the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street outlook pieces are highlighting upcoming Q3 estimates and key operating metrics, suggesting investors are waiting for the actual earnings report for confirmation. Unveiling Starbucks (SBUX) Q3 Outlook: Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader consumer stocks were stronger late Friday, providing a supportive sector backdrop for Starbucks rather than a company-specific catalyst. Sector Update: Consumer Stocks Rise Late Afternoon
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage says Starbucks is outperforming the Nasdaq-100 this year, reflecting renewed investor optimism around the stock’s recovery story. Starbucks Is on Track to Beat the Nasdaq-100 for the First Time Since 2022. Is There More Room to Run?

Starbucks Price Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $103.25 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $117.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.22, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.98. Starbucks Corporation has a one year low of $77.99 and a one year high of $109.23. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $102.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.59.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.The company had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 187.88%.

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.