Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 65.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 170,907 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 67,569 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $15,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the first quarter worth about $728,000. Excelsior Advisor Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks during the first quarter valued at approximately $240,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 105.7% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,029,531 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $92,236,000 after buying an additional 529,086 shares during the period. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the first quarter worth approximately $658,000. Finally, OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its position in Starbucks by 30.1% during the first quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 52,824 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $4,733,000 after acquiring an additional 12,208 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $104.14 on Thursday. 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 price of $102.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $98.92. The company has a market cap of $118.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.89, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.98.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $9.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. Starbucks’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.50 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.62 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 187.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total value of $231,816.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 77,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,045,856. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock valued at $679,033. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on SBUX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Scotiabank cut Starbucks from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Evercore lifted their price objective on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Tigress Financial started coverage on Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $122.00 target price for the company. Finally, BTIG Research downgraded Starbucks from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $109.42.

Trending Headlines about 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.