Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Purchases New Shares in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 2,878,911 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $294,196,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,232,650,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 65.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,637,704,000 after buying an additional 7,725,547 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks during the second quarter worth about $779,790,000. Capital World Investors increased its position in Starbucks by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 84,727,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $7,135,228,000 after acquiring an additional 7,007,268 shares during the period. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Starbucks by 146.6% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,049,192 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $553,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,596,014 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total value of $236,251.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,963,558.65. This trade represents a 2.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock valued at $681,663. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on SBUX. Raymond James Financial cut Starbucks to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Starbucks from $105.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley cut Starbucks from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Melius Research set a $110.00 price target on Starbucks in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $110.30.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is eliminating more than 200 corporate positions as part of a broader restructuring and approximately $2 billion cost-reduction effort. Lower overhead could support profitability if the company maintains service levels and directs more resources toward its stores. The reductions do not involve cafe closures. Starbucks trims corporate ranks as coffeehouse investments deliver
• Positive Sentiment: Recent market commentary highlights Starbucks’ roughly 25% 2026 gain and suggests investors are rewarding its operational reset and investments in the cafe experience. The rally follows the company’s latest quarterly earnings beat, with adjusted EPS of $0.85 versus a $0.66 consensus estimate and revenue above expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: The restructuring is relocating some corporate operations to a new, approximately $100 million Nashville office. Around 120 Seattle employees reportedly declined the move, while another 104 roles in store design and construction are being eliminated. Management characterizes the actions as part of the restructuring winding down, but the savings and impact on execution remain to be demonstrated. Starbucks cuts another 224 Seattle jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks continues to face challenges in China, where domestic competitors, shifting consumer preferences and geopolitical tensions are eroding the position of major U.S. brands. China weakness could limit international growth and pressure comparable sales. Why some of America’s biggest brands are losing ground in China
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s strong performance has also produced a demanding valuation, with the supplied data showing a P/E ratio above 60. Investors may require sustained earnings growth from the turnaround to justify the premium, leaving SBUX vulnerable to disappointment.

Starbucks Stock Up 3.0%

Shares of SBUX opened at $107.08 on Friday. Starbucks Corporation has a 52-week low of $77.99 and a 52-week high of $110.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $104.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.36. The company has a market capitalization of $122.07 billion, a PE ratio of 61.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.97.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released 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 34.10%. The firm had revenue of $9.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

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 $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 142.53%.

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.