Gabelli Funds LLC Raises Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Gabelli Funds increased its Starbucks position by 140.4% in the first quarter, owning 26,200 shares valued at approximately $2.35 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.29% of Starbucks stock.
• Starbucks reported stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, with adjusted EPS of $0.85 and revenue of $9.32 billion; global comparable-store sales rose 7.9%.
• The company raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.55–$2.65 and maintained a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share, equivalent to a 2.4% annual yield.

Gabelli Funds LLC lifted its position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 140.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,200 shares of the coffee company's stock after buying an additional 15,300 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC's holdings in Starbucks were worth $2,347,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Starbucks in the 4th quarter worth about $1,149,000. Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. bought a new position in Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $875,000. Third View Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,135,000. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 36.4% during the 4th quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 88,374 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $7,442,000 after acquiring an additional 23,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 94.5% during the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 94,260 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $7,938,000 after purchasing an additional 45,794 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Global comparable-store sales rose 7.9%, driven primarily by a 4.2% increase in comparable transactions, indicating stronger customer traffic as well as improved spending per visit. Starbucks Reports Q3 Fiscal Year 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings reached $0.85 per share, exceeding consensus estimates near $0.65-$0.66, while revenue of approximately $9.32 billion also topped forecasts. Reported GAAP EPS was $0.91, up sharply from the prior year. Starbucks Q3 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks raised fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS guidance to $2.55-$2.65 from $2.25-$2.45 and set a 6% global comparable-sales growth target. The outlook is above the roughly $2.39 analyst consensus. Starbucks Raises Its Full-Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: North American revenue increased 7% to $7.4 billion, while international margins improved, reinforcing expectations that operational improvements can support earnings growth. Starbucks Q3 Comparable Sales Rise 7.9%

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Tigress Financial started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $122.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an "underperform" rating for the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $120.00 price target (up from $115.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wedbush began coverage on Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $109.42.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total value of $231,816.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 77,364 shares in the company, valued at $8,045,856. This represents a 2.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 6,687 shares of company stock worth $679,033 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $104.14 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $102.15 and a 200 day moving average of $98.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 78.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.98. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $77.99 and a 12-month high of $109.23.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $9.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Starbucks's payout ratio is currently 187.88%.

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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