Castleark Management LLC Makes New $472,000 Investment in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Castleark Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,620 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $472,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Starbucks during the second quarter valued at approximately $8,504,509,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,232,650,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Starbucks by 65.9% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,637,704,000 after purchasing an additional 7,725,547 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at $779,790,000. Finally, Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 84,727,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $7,135,228,000 after purchasing an additional 7,007,268 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total transaction of $236,251.71. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,963,558.65. This represents a 2.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock worth $681,663. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $108.49 on Thursday. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $77.99 and a fifty-two week high of $110.51. The stock has a market cap of $123.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $104.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $100.68.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.19. The company had revenue of $9.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 142.53%.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baird upgraded Starbucks to “Strong Buy.” Robert W. Baird raised its view on the stock, following an earlier Outperform rating and a $124 price target—roughly 15% above the recently cited share price. The upgrade supports the broader turnaround narrative under CEO Brian Niccol. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Fall menu and Pumpkin Spice Latte season are providing a seasonal sales catalyst. Starbucks launched its fall offerings, including the returning Pumpkin Spice Latte, while also promoting limited-time beverages and a Blueberry Matcha Daily Fiber Bar partnership. Early reports indicate refreshed products have supported customer traffic and weekend sales, reinforcing the “Back to Starbucks” strategy. Starbucks fall menu article
• Positive Sentiment: Restructuring is aimed at improving profitability. Starbucks is cutting more than 200 additional corporate jobs as part of a broader, approximately $2 billion turnaround effort. Cost reductions, improving comparable-store sales and expansion of operations in Nashville could strengthen margins if execution remains on track. Starbucks restructuring article
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation leaves limited room for disappointment. Starbucks recently traded around $108.49, versus a 52-week range of $77.99 to $110.51, with a reported forward fiscal 2026 EPS outlook of $2.55–$2.65. The strong year-to-date performance reflects rising confidence in the turnaround, but also increases sensitivity to execution setbacks.
• Negative Sentiment: Workers United is urging customers to boycott Starbucks. More than 12,000 unionized baristas are seeking a contract and reportedly demanding $17-per-hour wages. The campaign coincides with the Pumpkin Spice Latte launch, creating a risk of reputational damage, weaker traffic or higher labor costs if negotiations remain stalled. Starbucks union boycott article

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Zacks Research lowered Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 29th. BNP Paribas Exane boosted their target price on Starbucks from $87.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup upped their target price on Starbucks from $108.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on Starbucks from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price 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.