122,919 Shares in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Bought by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual initiated a Starbucks position by buying 122,919 shares valued at approximately $12.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.29% of SBUX.
• Starbucks exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $0.85 versus the $0.66 consensus and revenue of $9.32 billion, though revenue declined 1.4% year over year. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.55–$2.65.
• The stock has rallied near its 52-week high, but analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $110.30 average price target; valuation, consumer spending uncertainty and restructuring-related layoffs remain risks.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. bought a new position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 122,919 shares of the coffee company's stock, valued at approximately $12,561,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SBUX. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 94.5% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 94,260 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $7,938,000 after acquiring an additional 45,794 shares in the last quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in Starbucks by 20.4% in the 4th quarter. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd now owns 518,405 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $43,655,000 after purchasing an additional 87,926 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,232,650,000. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 86.5% during the 4th 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. Finally, Parkside Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at $842,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total value of $236,251.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,963,558.65. This represents a 2.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 6,687 shares of company stock valued at $681,663. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks’ coffee strategy is drawing renewed investor attention as management focuses on improving the customer experience, store performance and operational execution. Starbucks Coffee Strategy Draws Fresh Attention
• Positive Sentiment: The fall menu includes the return of a 23-year-old customer favorite along with nine new seasonal food and beverage items, providing a potential near-term traffic and sales catalyst. Starbucks Fall Menu 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The limited-time Unicorn Frappuccino reportedly produced Starbucks’ biggest sales weekend ever and lifted traffic 28.5% versus a typical Saturday, supporting the case that innovative promotions can attract customers. Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlights SBUX’s roughly 27% year-to-date advance, stronger traffic, recovering margins and raised guidance. Recent earnings also exceeded expectations, with quarterly EPS of $0.85 versus a $0.66 consensus and revenue of $9.32 billion. Starbucks Stock Gains 27 Percent Year to Date
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks has received a consensus analyst rating of “Hold,” suggesting that improving fundamentals are currently balanced against the stock’s already strong rally and execution risks. Starbucks Consensus Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: At a premium valuation, SBUX could experience greater volatility if consumer spending weakens or investors reduce expectations for the turnaround. Higher input costs and broader consumer uncertainty remain key risks. High-Flying Stocks With Warning Signs
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks plans to eliminate more than 200 positions at its Seattle headquarters and shift some roles to Nashville. The restructuring may improve efficiency, but the layoffs could signal ongoing cost and organizational pressure. Starbucks Seattle Headquarters Layoffs

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on SBUX. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Raymond James Financial downgraded Starbucks to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Starbucks from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $110.30.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $107.49 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $122.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.78, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $104.57 and a 200 day simple moving average of $100.53. Starbucks Corporation has a 52 week low of $77.99 and a 52 week high of $110.51.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.19. The firm had revenue of $9.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. 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 (DPR) 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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