Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Sold by LPL Financial LLC

LPL Financial LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 2,658,766 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 232,289 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $223,895,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $6,099,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Starbucks by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 113,438,902 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $9,596,931,000 after purchasing an additional 577,279 shares in the last quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 79,193 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $6,700,000 after acquiring an additional 19,877 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,149,000. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 299,833 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $25,249,000 after acquiring an additional 11,135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is getting favorable attention for expanding its Refreshers lineup, including blended versions that management says could drive more afternoon visits and incremental sales from younger customers. Starbucks’ latest drink launch is a bet on the future of fast food beverages
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also encouraged by reports that Starbucks is seeing encouraging growth beyond the morning rush, suggesting the company’s turnaround efforts are starting to improve traffic patterns and revenue mix. Starbucks Sees Encouraging Growth beyond the Morning Rush, CNBC Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains constructive, with coverage highlighting Starbucks’ $2 billion cost-savings plan and improving margins as potential catalysts for stronger EPS growth. Can Starbucks’ $2 Billion Cost-Savings Plan Accelerate EPS Growth?
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks’ CEO also signaled international expansion as part of the company’s growth push, reinforcing the view that management sees room for long-term sales gains. Starbucks Stock (SBUX) Turns Frothy as CEO Talks International Expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks CEO Brady Brewer disclosed a pre-arranged sale of 1,641 shares under a 10b5-1 plan, which is unlikely to be interpreted as a major change in fundamentals but can add modest overhang. SEC filing
• Negative Sentiment: One external note highlighted broader market weakness in AI and tech stocks, but this is not directly tied to Starbucks’ business and appears to have limited impact on SBUX. Deja Vu? AI Overspending Fears Renew

Starbucks Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $97.41 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $111.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 73.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.98. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $77.99 and a 12-month high of $108.88. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $99.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $94.35.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 187.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lowered Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Monday, March 30th. They issued an “underperform” rating and a $84.00 target price for the company. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Starbucks from a “sector perform” rating to a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Starbucks from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.48.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.33, for a total value of $154,795.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 80,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,563,473.73. This trade represents a 2.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,099 shares of company stock worth $804,907. Company 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.