Royal Fund Management LLC Sells 91,189 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Royal Fund Management LLC decreased its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 61.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 57,666 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 91,189 shares during the quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $4,858,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in Starbucks by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $7,229,968,000 after purchasing an additional 8,774,198 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 146.6% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,049,192 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $553,201,000 after purchasing an additional 3,596,014 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,243,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,699,479 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,105,164 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $433,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.9% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $6,575,430,000 after buying an additional 1,462,874 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Trading Down 0.1%

Starbucks stock opened at $86.72 on Tuesday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $75.50 and a 12 month high of $104.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $88.83. The firm has a market cap of $98.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 71.67, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.93.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. The business had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $159,373.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,411,077.60. The trade was a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,729 shares of company stock worth $460,974 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on SBUX shares. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Starbucks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors re-elected Starbucks’ full board and rejected a labor-backed slate, reducing near-term governance uncertainty and preserving management’s strategic plan. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: CEO stated the company’s turnaround is starting to show up in the store experience, signaling improving execution on traffic, service and customer experience that could support revenue and margins if sustained. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational changes — new ordering kiosks, scheduled app orders, a restructured licensed-store model and the GROW program — aim to reduce service bottlenecks and improve throughput in high-traffic formats, which can help margins and customer satisfaction over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks listed six-figure corporate roles for a new Nashville office as it builds a Southeastern hub — a sign of expansion and talent investment but also an added cost center in the near term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: SeekAlpha/Tipranks summaries and highlights from the annual meeting reiterate governance votes and strategy updates — useful context for shareholders but largely confirmatory rather than market-moving. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer note: Dutch Bros (BROS) has slid despite growth, reflecting investor sensitivity to expansion costs and margins in the specialty coffee segment — a sector datapoint but not a direct Starbucks-specific catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Citizens Jmp started coverage with a “market underperform” rating and an $84 price target, signaling at least one analyst sees limited upside and adding near-term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising gasoline prices could reduce drive-thru visits industrywide, posing a traffic risk for stores reliant on convenience and drive-thru sales if elevated fuel costs persist. Read More.

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.