Fortis Group Advisors LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its Starbucks stake by 1,869.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 11,031 shares valued at about $1.01 million.
• Starbucks reported a stronger-than-expected quarter, with EPS of $0.50 and revenue of $9.53 billion, both ahead of estimates, while also reaffirming FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.25 to 2.45.
• The company is balancing positive developments like a debt-refining cash tender offer and upcoming investor conference appearance with negatives, including 300 more job cuts and about $400 million in restructuring charges.

Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 1,869.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,031 shares of the coffee company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,471 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC's holdings in Starbucks were worth $1,010,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks in the third quarter valued at approximately $6,099,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Starbucks by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 113,438,902 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $9,596,931,000 after purchasing an additional 577,279 shares during the last quarter. Lantz Financial LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 346.6% during the 3rd quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 17,833 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,509,000 after purchasing an additional 13,840 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Starbucks by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,241,131 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $358,800,000 after purchasing an additional 405,331 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Compass Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 33.5% during the 3rd quarter. Compass Wealth Management LLC now owns 79,193 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $6,700,000 after purchasing an additional 19,877 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks announced CEO Brian Niccol and CFO Cathy Smith will host a fireside chat at the Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference on May 28, giving investors another opportunity to hear updated strategy and turnaround progress. Starbucks to Participate in the Bernstein 42nd Annual Strategic Decisions Conference
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks completed a cash tender offer to refine its debt profile, a move that can improve financial flexibility and strengthen the balance sheet. Starbucks Completes Cash Tender Offer, Refines Debt Profile
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks is drawing attention for its summer menu rollout and new promotions, which could help seasonal traffic but are not yet a clear earnings catalyst. Starbucks drops another summer surprise as competition heats up
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst-style coverage comparing Starbucks to retail and wholesale peers is mostly informational and does not appear to be driving a major stock-specific move. Starbucks' China JV Shift Reshapes Revenue and Margin Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks said it is cutting another 300 jobs and taking about $400 million in restructuring charges as part of a $2 billion cost-reduction push, highlighting the cost of its turnaround. Starbucks Cuts Another 300 Jobs Amid $2 Billion Cost Reduction Push
• Negative Sentiment: Environmental reporting alleging Starbucks’ “widely recyclable” cold cups often end up in trash could hurt brand perception and invite more criticism around sustainability claims. Widely Recyclable Cold Cups Seldom Reach Recycling, Study Finds, and Starbucks Stock Pays the Price
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that Starbucks’ China JV shift will reduce reported revenue in China, even if it boosts margins and adds cash, may pressure near-term sales expectations. Starbucks' China JV Shift Reshapes Revenue and Margin Outlook

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total transaction of $233,621.49. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,548,198.79. This represents a 2.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 11,187 shares of company stock worth $1,111,085 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on SBUX shares. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. They set an "underperform" rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $117.00 target price on shares of Starbucks and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research downgraded shares of Starbucks from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Starbucks from an "overweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.48.

Starbucks Price Performance

SBUX stock opened at $104.13 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $98.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.03. The company has a market capitalization of $118.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.01. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $77.99 and a 12 month high of $108.88.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The business had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio is 187.88%.

Starbucks Company 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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