Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Reduces Stock Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Clifford Swan Investment Counsel cut its Starbucks stake by 9.4% in the first quarter, selling 15,229 shares and leaving it with 146,495 shares valued at about $13.1 million.
• Starbucks beat quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting EPS of $0.50 versus $0.44 expected and revenue of $9.53 billion, while also reaffirming FY 2026 EPS guidance of 2.25 to 2.45.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share, payable August 28, and analysts remain generally constructive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $109.42.

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC lessened its position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 9.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 146,495 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 15,229 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC's holdings in Starbucks were worth $13,125,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth about $1,232,650,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Starbucks by 65.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,637,704,000 after purchasing an additional 7,725,547 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in Starbucks by 9.0% during 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 purchasing an additional 7,007,268 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $553,201,000 after buying an additional 3,596,014 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 4,532,627 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $381,693,000 after buying an additional 1,647,292 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Stock Down 2.7%

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $105.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.23 billion, a PE ratio of 79.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.98. The stock's 50 day moving average is $102.56 and its 200 day moving average is $97.83. Starbucks Corporation has a twelve month low of $77.99 and a twelve month high of $109.23.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 187.88%.

Starbucks News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: RBC said Starbucks’ fiscal Q3 North America same-store sales are likely to come in line with consensus, which could reassure investors that the U.S. business is stabilizing. Starbucks Fiscal Q3 North America Same-Store Sales Poised to be In-Line With Consensus, RBC Says
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary remains generally constructive, with several recent firms reiterating buy or overweight ratings and price targets clustering around levels near or above the current share price. Analysts’ Opinions Are Mixed on These Consumer Cyclical Stocks: Starbucks (SBUX), Airbnb (ABNB) and Silgan Holdings (SLGN)
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks’ reaffirmed dividend and efforts to cut software costs by building more of its own tools with AI may support margins over time. What Starbucks (SBUX)'s Dividend Affirmation and Software Cost Cuts Mean For Shareholders
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks recently said it will release fiscal Q3 2026 results on July 29, keeping attention focused on a potential catalyst for the shares. Starbucks Announces Q3 Fiscal Year 2026 Results Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks’ earnings preview suggests investors are waiting for confirmation that traffic, loyalty trends, and the “Back to Starbucks” turnaround plan are still improving. Earnings Preview: What To Expect From Starbucks' Report
• Neutral Sentiment: Reuters reported that Starbucks defeated a shareholder lawsuit tied to sales declines in the U.S. and China, removing one legal overhang but not changing the core growth debate. Starbucks defeats shareholder lawsuit over US, China sales declines
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage highlights that opinions on Starbucks remain mixed, reflecting uncertainty about the pace of the turnaround and whether sales momentum can fully reaccelerate. Starbucks vs. McDonald's: Which Restaurant Stock Has the Edge Now?

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total transaction of $231,816.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 77,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,045,856. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at $6,053,565. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,687 shares of company stock valued at $889,033. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SBUX. Dbs Bank raised Starbucks from a "strong sell" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Starbucks from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. TD Cowen raised shares of Starbucks from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $106.00 to $120.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Tigress Financial started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $122.00 price objective for the company. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $109.42.

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.

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.