The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 419,836 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company decreased its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 20.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,651,651 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 419,836 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.14% of Starbucks worth $147,971,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Beta Wealth Group Inc. increased its position in Starbucks by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Beta Wealth Group Inc. now owns 6,114 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $548,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. NWF Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Starbucks by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,349 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Godshalk Welsh Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,610 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,219,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Aerodigm Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, River Street Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 77,364 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,045,856. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock worth $679,033. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $103.10 on Wednesday. Starbucks Corporation has a 1 year low of $77.99 and a 1 year high of $109.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $102.20 and a 200 day moving average of $98.81. The stock has a market cap of $117.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The business had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

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

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings per share of approximately $0.65, representing improvement from the year-ago period. Evidence that the turnaround is improving traffic, customer experience, or store execution could support the stock. Starbucks Q3 earnings preview
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary says the “Back to Starbucks” strategy is showing signs of resonating with customers, while the company’s combination of mobile ordering, drive-through service, and in-store ordering may be strengthening the customer proposition. Starbucks dividend and turnaround
• Neutral Sentiment: The options market is pricing in an approximately 5.51% post-earnings move, signaling elevated volatility but not its direction. Investors should expect a potentially significant reaction to the earnings release and guidance. Starbucks options-implied earnings move
• Negative Sentiment: Wall Street expects third-quarter revenue of roughly $9.12 billion, down about 3.6% year over year. The combination of declining sales and a sharply higher valuation raises the risk of disappointment if comparable-store sales or the outlook fall short. Starbucks stock ahead of Q3 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are also questioning whether Starbucks can maintain its dividend while funding the turnaround. Thin dividend coverage and continued weak growth could limit upside despite generally constructive analyst opinions. Starbucks dividend coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks reportedly scrapped an AI-powered inventory-counting tool developed with NomadGo. The decision is unlikely to be a major earnings driver, but it raises questions about execution and the pace of technology adoption. Starbucks AI inventory tool report

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Stephens started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $106.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $120.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Tigress Financial initiated coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $122.00 price target on the stock. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Starbucks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.42.

Starbucks Company 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.