The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Invests $61.40 Million in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company purchased a new stake in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 600,881 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $61,404,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SBUX. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Phillip James Consulting Co. acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Seasonal promotions are supporting the turnaround. Starbucks launched its fall menu and Pumpkin Spice Latte season, while the limited-time Unicorn Frappuccino reportedly generated the company’s highest sales weekend on record and lifted traffic 28.5% above a typical Saturday. New offerings, including the Blueberry Matcha Daily Fiber Bar, are also intended to drive visits and strengthen the “Back to Starbucks” strategy. Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino drives biggest sales weekend ever
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment remains constructive. Baird initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a $124 price target, implying additional upside based on expectations for improved traffic, margin recovery and continued execution of the turnaround. Starbucks has also reported better-than-expected recent earnings and maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.55–$2.65. Baird sees upside for Starbucks
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate restructuring continues. Starbucks plans to eliminate more than 200 Seattle-area corporate positions and shift some roles to Nashville. The cuts could reduce costs and streamline operations, but they also highlight ongoing execution challenges and may create transition or morale risks. Starbucks is cutting more than 200 jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Labor conflict is the main near-term overhang. Starbucks Workers United is urging more than 12,000 unionized baristas and customers to boycott the chain during the Pumpkin Spice Latte launch until management reaches a contract agreement. The financial impact depends on participation, but a sustained boycott could undermine the traffic gains investors are watching and add reputational and labor costs. Starbucks union calls for boycott

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total transaction of $236,251.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,963,558.65. This trade represents a 2.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,687 shares of company stock worth $681,663 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Starbucks Price Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $105.76 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $104.65 and its 200 day moving average is $100.59. Starbucks Corporation has a one year low of $77.99 and a one year high of $110.51. The firm has a market cap of $120.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.97.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its 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. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. The business had revenue of $9.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.50 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 2.3%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is 142.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SBUX has been the topic of a number of research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Starbucks from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Tuesday, August 18th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $124.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.30.

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.