Capital Research Global Investors Increases Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 11.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,774,198 shares during the quarter. Starbucks makes up approximately 1.4% of Capital Research Global Investors’ holdings, making the stock its 13th biggest holding. Capital Research Global Investors owned approximately 0.08% of Starbucks worth $7,229,968,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in Starbucks by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $6,575,430,000 after acquiring an additional 1,462,874 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Sarl boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 5.3% during the third quarter. Capital International Sarl now owns 480,163 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $40,622,000 after purchasing an additional 24,252 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Inc. CA grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 23.4% in the third quarter. Capital International Inc. CA now owns 727,558 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $61,551,000 after purchasing an additional 137,891 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 22.5% in the third 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 during the period. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in Starbucks by 20.9% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,888,905 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $159,801,000 after purchasing an additional 326,151 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded Starbucks from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday. They set a “neutral” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America set a $114.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Monday. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.22.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management opens a new Nashville supply‑chain and corporate hub that could lower distribution costs, improve inventory flow and support new product rollouts — a multi‑quarter margin tailwind if execution is smooth. Starbucks’ New Nashville Supply Chain Hub Could Be A Game Changer For Starbucks (SBUX)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks reports U.S. transactions rose for the first time in eight quarters, lifting comps and signaling improving customer traffic — an operational read that supports revenue recovery vs. prior quarters. The Zacks Analyst Blog Starbucks, McDonald’s and Dutch Bros
• Neutral Sentiment: New sell‑side and coverage activity — DA Davidson started coverage with a neutral view; other brokers maintain a mix of Outperform/Overweight and Hold ratings, leaving consensus near a “moderate buy” with varied price targets. Analyst coverage can boost liquidity but currently offers mixed directional signals. Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Research Coverage Started at DA Davidson
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded SBUX to Peer Perform from Outperform, citing that Starbucks is in the early stages of a multi‑year turnaround and execution risk is high — downgrades can weigh on sentiment and limit multiple expansion. Starbucks downgraded at Wolfe Research as execution risk remains high
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior executives — CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares (~$159k at ~$97.12) and EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares (~$242.8k), modest reductions in holdings that investors often view as negative signaling near‑term liquidity or personal diversification. Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) CEO Sells $159,373.92 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Brand/regulatory risk — Public criticism from a government health official about sugar in seasonal drinks could create PR or regulatory scrutiny and pressure certain beverage promotions or reformulations. Starbucks Balances Nashville Supply Chain Push With Sugar Backlash Questions

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 59,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the company’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 value of $159,373.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,411,077.60. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $99.77 on Tuesday. Starbucks Corporation has a twelve month low of $75.50 and a twelve month high of $106.00. The stock has a market cap of $113.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $94.00 and a 200 day moving average price of $87.95.

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

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.