Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 85.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 153,273 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 891,740 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $13,732,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth $1,232,650,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 valued at $1,637,704,000 after acquiring an additional 7,725,547 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 9.0% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 3,596,014 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,532,627 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $381,693,000 after purchasing an additional 1,647,292 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total transaction of $231,816.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 77,364 shares in the company, valued at $8,045,856. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock worth $679,033. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.0%

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $104.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.69 billion, a PE ratio of 78.89, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.98. Starbucks Corporation has a 1 year low of $77.99 and a 1 year high of $109.23. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $98.92.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.19. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The firm had revenue of $9.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Starbucks’s payout ratio is currently 187.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group cut Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Evercore boosted their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on Starbucks from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.42.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Global comparable-store sales rose 7.9%, driven primarily by a 4.2% increase in comparable transactions, indicating stronger customer traffic as well as improved spending per visit. Starbucks Reports Q3 Fiscal Year 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings reached $0.85 per share, exceeding consensus estimates near $0.65-$0.66, while revenue of approximately $9.32 billion also topped forecasts. Reported GAAP EPS was $0.91, up sharply from the prior year. Starbucks Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.55-$2.65 from $2.25-$2.45 and set a 6% global comparable-sales growth target. The outlook is above the roughly $2.39 analyst consensus. Starbucks Raises Its Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: North American revenue increased 7% to $7.4 billion, while international margins improved, reinforcing expectations that operational improvements can support earnings growth. Starbucks Q3 Comparable Sales Rise 7.9%

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.