Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Sold by Kentucky Retirement Systems

Kentucky Retirement Systems lessened its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 12.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 62,218 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 9,193 shares during the quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Starbucks were worth $5,574,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks during the first quarter worth approximately $14,322,000. Strategic Investment Advisors MI acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 1st quarter valued at $107,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC raised its position in Starbucks by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC now owns 8,372 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in Starbucks by 5.4% during the 1st quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 28,055 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $2,513,000 after purchasing an additional 1,436 shares during the period. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Starbucks by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 9,473 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $849,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on SBUX. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Tigress Financial initiated coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $122.00 price target on the stock. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $112.04.

Starbucks News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks reported adjusted Q3 earnings of $0.85 per share, well above the $0.66 analyst consensus, while revenue of $9.32 billion also exceeded expectations. Adjusted EPS increased sharply from $0.50 a year earlier. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Global comparable-store sales rose 7.9%, beating the 5.7% expectation, driven primarily by a 4.2% increase in transactions. North American revenue reportedly climbed 7% to $7.4 billion, reinforcing the view that traffic—not merely higher prices—is powering the recovery. Starbucks Q3 results
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.55-$2.65, from $2.25-$2.45, and now expects full-year global comparable sales growth of approximately 6%. Expanding margins and faster service are supporting investor confidence in the turnaround. Starbucks turnaround and outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reactions were generally supportive: TD Cowen reaffirmed a Buy rating with a $120 target, while Wells Fargo raised its target to $125 and Morgan Stanley lifted its target to $115. Starbucks is also testing carbonated versions of its Refreshers, expanding its non-coffee product lineup for younger consumers. Starbucks carbonated Refreshers
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst opinions remain mixed. UBS, Citigroup and DA Davidson raised targets to $112, $112 and $110 while maintaining neutral ratings; Wolfe Research kept a Hold rating. BNP Paribas Exane raised its target to $92 but retained an Underperform rating, citing limited upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the operational improvement, revenue declined 1.4% year over year, partly reflecting the China joint-venture structure, and the shares trade at a high valuation after their recent rally. That valuation leaves less room for execution missteps or a slowdown in comparable sales growth.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total value of $231,816.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 77,364 shares in the company, valued at $8,045,856. This trade represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 6,687 shares of company stock worth $679,033 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $105.85 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $120.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $102.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $99.04. Starbucks Corporation has a 1-year low of $77.99 and a 1-year high of $109.23.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.19. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 33.44%. The company had revenue of $9.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. Starbucks’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 142.53%.

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.