Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Stock Sold by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. decreased its position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,562,357 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 59,779 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $240,759,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Starbucks in the 2nd quarter worth about $8,504,509,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 49,260,268 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $5,033,907,000 after buying an additional 1,530,497 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,581,287,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 26.2% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 8,506,482 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $869,277,000 after acquiring an additional 1,767,530 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at $779,790,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $112.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Starbucks from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Compass Point assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $81.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 30th. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.53.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks reported fiscal fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.80, above the approximately $0.72 consensus. Adjusted operating margin expanded by roughly 450 basis points to 14% as sales leverage, cost savings and lower labor-related expenses supported profitability. Starbucks posts slight revenue miss and earnings beat
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. comparable sales increased 7.7%, ahead of management’s target, helped by higher average tickets, product mix, food attachments and improving customer traffic. Management said the turnaround is transitioning into a growth plan. Starbucks strong comps driven by ticket growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts remain constructive, with BTIG reaffirming a Buy rating and a $115 target, while Bank of America raised its target to $141. Starbucks also plans to test AI-powered drive-through tools, renovate more than 2,000 North American stores and add about 1,200 locations globally. Analyst raises Starbucks price target
• Neutral Sentiment: Management said Starbucks could eventually become a multibrand company and sees room for substantial international and North American expansion, but acquisitions are not currently the focus. Execution on store improvements and service remains the near-term priority. Starbucks CEO discusses future acquisitions
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue fell about 4.5% to $9.14 billion, missing estimates near $9.22 billion. The decline largely reflects Starbucks’ shift of nearly 8,000 China stores to a licensed joint venture, but international comparable sales and transactions remained weak. Starbucks international business disappoints
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 guidance calls for roughly 4% North American comparable-sales growth, below fiscal 2026’s 6.6%, while revenue is expected to decline about 1%. Fourth-quarter ticket growth outpaced transaction growth, raising concerns that future gains may rely more on pricing and larger orders than on customer visits. Starbucks margins jump as store visits slow

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $103.67 on Monday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $77.99 and a 12 month high of $110.51. The stock has a market cap of $118.18 billion, a PE ratio of 46.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.01. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $99.26 and its 200-day moving average price is $99.70.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The coffee company reported $0.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.72 by $0.08. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 38.61% and a net margin of 6.66%. The firm had revenue of $9.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.52 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 27th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is a boost from Starbucks’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 112.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.60, for a total transaction of $235,382.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 73,149 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,724,534.40. The trade was a 2.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,687 shares of company stock valued at $685,935. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is a global specialty coffee company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1971, the company operates and licenses coffeehouses under the Starbucks brand, serving brewed coffee, espresso beverages, teas, cold drinks, food, and other ready-to-consume products.

In addition to its company-operated and licensed stores, Starbucks sells packaged coffee, tea, and single-serve products through grocery retailers, convenience stores, and other distribution channels.