Baillie Gifford & Co. Decreases Stock Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Baillie Gifford & Co. trimmed its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 645,865 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 41,355 shares during the period. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned approximately 0.06% of Starbucks worth $54,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 113,438,902 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $9,596,931,000 after purchasing an additional 577,279 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 11.4% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $7,229,968,000 after purchasing an additional 8,774,198 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 1.9% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $6,575,430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462,874 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 22.5% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,243,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,699,479 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 6.5% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,590,494 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,149,756,000 after purchasing an additional 832,540 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SBUX. Dbs Bank raised shares of Starbucks from a "strong sell" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. New Street Research set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating and set a $89.00 price objective (up from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $103.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.00, for a total transaction of $147,690.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 84,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,593,840. This represents a 1.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 owned 59,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,370 shares of company stock valued at $608,664. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks closed the deal to sell control of its China unit to Boyu, shifting China to a franchised/partnered model — investors see this as a de‑risking step that reduces capital intensity and exposure in a challenging market. Starbucks Sells Control of China Unit to Boyu in Growth Push, Reuters Reports
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies upgraded SBUX to Hold (from Underperform), citing early signs of stabilization in the U.S. business and the reduced international risk profile after the China JV — a direct catalyst for today's buying. Starbucks' China franchise deal improves visibility into turnaround -- Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: While upgraded, Jefferies raised its price target only to $92 (from $86) — still below the current share price — suggesting the firm sees improved risk but limited near‑term upside at SBUX's current valuation. Jefferies Upgrades Starbucks to Hold as China Franchise Exit and U.S. Stabilization Improve Visibility
• Negative Sentiment: Competition for cold, fruit‑forward beverages is increasing as McDonald’s rolls out new fruit‑flavored drinks — a headwind for Starbucks’ growing cold‑drink mix and traffic trends. The Battle Over Refreshers Heats Up as McDonald’s Enters the Mix
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks reported mounting losses in its UK business and cited higher minimum wages and taxes as contributing factors — a reminder that labor and regulatory costs remain a margin risk in certain markets. Starbucks blames minimum wage and taxes for mounting losses

Starbucks Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $97.48 on Tuesday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $75.50 and a 12 month high of $104.82. The stock has a market cap of $111.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $95.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.53.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 business had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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