Insider Selling: Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) CEO Sells 588 Shares of Stock

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $58,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,601,700. The trade was a 0.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Brady Brewer also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Thursday, March 5th, Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of Starbucks stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $159,373.92.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of SBUX stock traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $101.47. The stock had a trading volume of 8,814,939 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,598,015. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $94.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.60 billion, a PE ratio of 83.86, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.93. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $75.50 and a 12 month high of $104.82.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,410,675 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $9,634,523,000 after purchasing an additional 971,773 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its position 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 buying an additional 8,774,198 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Starbucks by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 84,727,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $7,135,228,000 after buying an additional 7,007,268 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Starbucks by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,869,056 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $4,031,053,000 after buying an additional 327,161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,373,084 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,212,153,000 after acquiring an additional 225,168 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management opened a new Nashville supply‑chain/corporate hub to centralize North American distribution and improve store inventory flow; this is presented as part of the “Back to Starbucks” turnaround to lower costs and support execution. Starbucks Nashville Office Reshapes Supply Chain And Turnaround Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: New Starbucks rewards changes are gaining traction and have been cited as lifting U.S. transactions and comps, supporting revenue recovery and customer frequency. Starbucks Stock (NASDAQ:SBUX) Gains as New Rewards Program Takes Hold
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell meaningfully in February (roughly a 14.8% decline between mid‑month and end‑month), which can reduce near‑term downside pressure from short covering dynamics.
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks will webcast its 2026 Annual Meeting (virtual) on March 25; procedural but relevant for governance/strategy updates and any shareholder votes. Starbucks to Webcast 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
• Neutral Sentiment: Former CEO Howard Schultz’s high‑profile move to Miami drew media attention—largely a personal/PR story that may prompt headlines but has limited direct operational impact. As Starbucks’ Howard Schultz heads to Miami, here’s a list of other billionaire business leaders moving to Florida
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded SBUX to Peer Perform (from Outperform), highlighting execution risk in a multi‑year turnaround; that note can cap multiple expansion and weigh on sentiment. Wolfe Research Turns Neutral on Starbucks (SBUX) amid Competitive Coffee Market
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling disclosed: CEO Brady Brewer sold ~1,641 shares (filed with the SEC), and an EVP also sold shares — not unusual but can be perceived negatively by some investors. Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) CEO Sells $159,373.92 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Media pieces noting the ad campaign underperformance and competition (including calls to buy rival coffee names) create near‑term narrative headwinds that can temper investor conviction. “The Magic of Coffee”: Starbucks Stock (NASDAQ:SBUX) Slips Despite New Ad Campaign
• Negative Sentiment: There’s some PR/regulatory sensitivity after public criticism about sugar in seasonal drinks — a potential reputational/regulatory risk that could affect product marketing. Starbucks Balances Nashville Supply Chain Push With Sugar Backlash Questions

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Wall Street Zen raised Starbucks from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 22nd. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Bank of America set a $114.00 price objective on Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $113.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.22.

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.