Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Sold by Trust Co. of Vermont

Trust Co. of Vermont decreased its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 92,761 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 7,578 shares during the quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $7,811,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Penn Davis Mcfarland Inc. now owns 29,361 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,472,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Matrix Asset Advisors Inc. NY now owns 226,198 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $19,048,000 after buying an additional 3,851 shares in the last quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG increased its stake in shares of Starbucks by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 14,701 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,233,000 after buying an additional 900 shares during the period. Tema Etfs LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Tema Etfs LLC now owns 18,089 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,523,000 after acquiring an additional 927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Advisors Inc. OK lifted its stake in Starbucks by 132.6% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 7,615 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $641,000 after acquiring an additional 4,341 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Governance changes and a new Nashville corporate office signal management momentum on the turnaround plan; management said it’s ahead of schedule, which supports confidence in operational execution. Starbucks Governance Shifts And Nashville Office Put Turnaround In Focus
• Positive Sentiment: Brand/marketing activation at Coachella (Unicorn Frappuccino, matcha, cold brew on-site) may help spring traffic and drive social buzz — a near-term comp benefit and PR win. Starbucks to Unleash Unicorn Frappuccino at Coachella
• Neutral Sentiment: Citizens Jmp has initiated coverage on SBUX (new analyst coverage can increase attention and liquidity but impact depends on the view published). Citizens Jmp Begins Coverage on Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)
• Neutral Sentiment: Articles from Zacks/Yahoo and TipRanks note strong investor interest and a visible turnaround — but several argue much of the improvement may already be priced in, suggesting limited upside absent stronger beat-and-raise results. Is Trending Stock Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) a Buy Now? Is Trending Stock Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) a Buy Now? (Zacks) Starbucks (SBUX) Turnaround Looks Real, but the Easy Money May Be Gone
• Neutral Sentiment: Restaurant-industry moves (e.g., First Watch leadership changes) are background noise for sector trends but not directly material to Starbucks. First Watch cuts its COO
• Negative Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane’s move to a “strong sell” rating is a notable negative signal from the sell-side and could pressure sentiment/flows if other brokers follow. Zacks.com (BNP Paribas Exane strong sell note)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis pieces argue Starbucks’ financials and valuation leave little margin for error — negative press can weigh on investor confidence until stronger results arrive. Starbucks: The Financial Brew Sours
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: McDonald’s push to capture a large beverage opportunity with expanded McCafé rollouts, plus rivals like Shake Shack building loyalty/tech, could pressure market share or margin over time. Can McDonald’s Tap a $100B Beverage Opportunity in 2026? Shake Shack Leans on Loyalty Program and Tech to Drive Growth

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on SBUX. DA Davidson started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $97.00 price target for the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Starbucks to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Starbucks in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Starbucks has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $103.07.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $90.43 on Thursday. Starbucks Corporation has a 52 week low of $75.50 and a 52 week high of $104.82. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $95.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $103.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.95.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $242,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $58,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 86,017 shares in the company, valued at $8,601,700. This trade represents a 0.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,729 shares of company stock worth $460,974 over the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.