Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its Starbucks stake 7.7% in Q3 to 595,790 shares (about $50.4M), making SBUX 1.2% of the fund’s portfolio and its 18th largest holding.
• Insider selling: CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares (~$159k) and EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares (~$243k) on March 5, modestly reducing their holdings and potentially weighing on sentiment.
• Mixed fundamentals and analyst view: Starbucks missed quarterly EPS ($0.56 vs. $0.59) but beat revenue ($9.92B), set FY2026 guidance of $2.15–2.40 EPS, and retains a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target near $104.22.

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 595,790 shares of the coffee company's stock after buying an additional 42,454 shares during the quarter. Starbucks makes up 1.2% of Ceredex Value Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned 0.05% of Starbucks worth $50,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Transce3nd LLC boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 270.3% during the second quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 274 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. MTM Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, PFS Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 457.4% during the third quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 340 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 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 value of $159,373.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,411,077.60. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $242,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management opens a new Nashville supply‑chain and corporate hub that could lower distribution costs, improve inventory flow and support new product rollouts — a multi‑quarter margin tailwind if execution is smooth. Starbucks’ New Nashville Supply Chain Hub Could Be A Game Changer For Starbucks (SBUX)
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks reports U.S. transactions rose for the first time in eight quarters, lifting comps and signaling improving customer traffic — an operational read that supports revenue recovery vs. prior quarters. The Zacks Analyst Blog Starbucks, McDonald's and Dutch Bros
• Neutral Sentiment: New sell‑side and coverage activity — DA Davidson started coverage with a neutral view; other brokers maintain a mix of Outperform/Overweight and Hold ratings, leaving consensus near a “moderate buy” with varied price targets. Analyst coverage can boost liquidity but currently offers mixed directional signals. Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX Research Coverage Started at DA Davidson
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded SBUX to Peer Perform from Outperform, citing that Starbucks is in the early stages of a multi‑year turnaround and execution risk is high — downgrades can weigh on sentiment and limit multiple expansion. Starbucks downgraded at Wolfe Research as execution risk remains high
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior executives — CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares (~$159k at ~$97.12) and EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares (~$242.8k), modest reductions in holdings that investors often view as negative signaling near‑term liquidity or personal diversification. Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX CEO Sells $159,373.92 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Brand/regulatory risk — Public criticism from a government health official about sugar in seasonal drinks could create PR or regulatory scrutiny and pressure certain beverage promotions or reformulations. Starbucks Balances Nashville Supply Chain Push With Sugar Backlash Questions

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SBUX shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays set a $116.00 target price on Starbucks and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $95.00 target price (up from $90.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Starbucks has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.22.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $99.77 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $94.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.95. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $75.50 and a 12-month high of $106.00. The firm has a market cap of $113.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.45, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.93.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The firm had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. Starbucks's revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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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