Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC Has $5.04 Million Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Ashton Thomas Private Wealth cut its Starbucks stake by 44.2%, selling 47,366 shares and finishing the quarter with 59,849 shares valued at about $5.04 million, while institutional investors own roughly 72.29% of the stock.
• Starbucks faces a near-term catalyst as it reports Q2 earnings tomorrow, with options traders pricing an expected single-day move of about 7% and analysts holding a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with an average price target of $104.75.
• The company is pursuing growth initiatives— including a $100M Nashville hub and loyalty-program changes—but execution risks exist amid reports of employee resistance to the relocation and recent insider selling (6,958 shares worth ~$667k), even as Starbucks pays a quarterly dividend of $0.62 (yield ~2.5%).

Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lessened its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 44.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 59,849 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 47,366 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Starbucks were worth $5,040,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings 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. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 47.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $288,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 92.8% in the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,225 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $479,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 112,710 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $10,328,000 after acquiring an additional 7,978 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Evercore ISI reiterated a Buy on SBUX, underpinning institutional confidence in the turnaround thesis. Evercore ISI Remains a Buy on Starbucks (SBUX)
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary: Jim Cramer flagged SBUX as “ready to break out,” which can attract retail buying momentum if the company posts reassuring results. Jim Cramer on Starbucks: “I Think It’s Ready to Break Out”
• Positive Sentiment: Marketing & brand moves: Profile on the exec leading partnerships (MrBeast, Taylor Swift) highlights ongoing consumer engagement efforts that could help sales recovery. The Executive Who Made Starbucks BFFs With MrBeast and Taylor Swift
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic shift: Starbucks announced a $100M Nashville hub and emphasized loyalty-program changes aimed at U.S. growth, which investors view as a structural positive if execution holds. Starbucks Nashville Hub And Loyalty Program Shift U.S. Growth Focus
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings event risk: Starbucks reports Q2 after the bell tomorrow; previews and watchlists are pushing the story to the top of investors’ calendars. Expect big headline movement on topline comps, guidance, and margin comments. Earnings To Watch: Starbucks (SBUX) Reports Q1 Results Tomorrow
• Neutral Sentiment: Volatility ahead: Options traders are pricing an expected single-day move near ~7%, flagging elevated risk/reward around the print. Starbucks Is About to Report Q2 Earnings. Options Traders Expect 6.94% Move in SBUX Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Execution & labor friction: Reports that some employees are resisting the Seattle-to-Nashville move highlight potential talent, morale and transition costs that could weigh on near-term execution. Some Starbucks employees are resisting making Seattle-to-Nashville move, report says

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on SBUX shares. Tigress Financial began coverage on Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $122.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Starbucks from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $105.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. DA Davidson reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $97.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $95.00 price target (up from $90.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Starbucks presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $104.75.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,788 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,378,800. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 6,958 shares of company stock valued at $667,464 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $97.89 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $111.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.95. Starbucks Corporation has a twelve month low of $75.50 and a twelve month high of $104.82. The company's fifty day moving average is $96.11 and its 200 day moving average is $90.61.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. The firm had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. The business's 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, equities analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio is presently 204.96%.

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.

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