Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Raises Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,501,608 shares of the coffee company’s stock after buying an additional 137,267 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $210,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 86.5% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 176,722 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $16,126,000 after purchasing an additional 81,952 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 47.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164 shares during the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter worth approximately $288,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL raised its stake in Starbucks by 92.8% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,225 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 7.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 112,710 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $10,328,000 after purchasing an additional 7,978 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on SBUX. Bank of America set a $114.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Starbucks from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Starbucks presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $58,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,378,800. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at $6,053,565. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 8,958 shares of company stock valued at $877,464 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 takeaways show improving traffic and execution that support the “turnaround” thesis—investors treated the results as confirmation the recovery is working. Is the Starbucks Turnaround Working? Key Takeaways From Q2 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction highlighted a strong after?hours move after mixed Q2 results but a higher FY?26 EPS guide (2.25–2.45), signaling management confidence that helped lift the stock. Why Starbucks (SBUX) Is Up 8.2% After Mixed Q2 Results And Higher Earnings Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Same?store sales jumped ~6.2%, ending a multi?quarter decline and reinforcing that in?store demand is recovering under Niccol’s strategy. Brian Niccol Earned the ‘Retail Messi’ Nickname: Starbucks Same-Store Sales Jump 6.2% After 7 Quarters of Decline
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and commentary note clear improvements but advise caution: the beat/guidance is constructive, yet questions remain about sustainability and whether current momentum justifies today’s valuation. Starbucks Stages a Major Comeback. But Does That Mean You Should Buy It Now? Not So Fast.
• Neutral Sentiment: SBUX is drawing high investor attention and searches—useful signal for liquidity/interest but not a directional fundamental indicator by itself. Investors Heavily Search Starbucks Corporation (SBUX): Here is What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Front?line employees say a new $1,200 bonus plan has unrealistic thresholds amid staffing shortages—risking morale, execution and service if staffing pressures persist. Starbucks baristas tell us why the new $1,200 bonus is impossible to get
• Negative Sentiment: Customer “cup note” complaints and commentary describe service/experience issues—signals that operational execution and brand perception still need work despite sales improvements. “They Read Like a Cry for Help”, Starbucks Stock (NASDAQ:SBUX) Notches Up Despite Cup Note Concerns

Starbucks Price Performance

SBUX opened at $106.44 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $96.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.41. The firm has a market cap of $121.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.64, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.01. Starbucks Corporation has a 1 year low of $77.99 and a 1 year high of $107.55.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.The business’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 187.88%.

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.