HighTower Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• HighTower Advisors reduced its Starbucks stake by 5% in the second quarter, selling 108,227 shares and retaining 2.07 million shares valued at approximately $211.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.29% of the company.
• Starbucks reported quarterly EPS of $0.85, beating estimates of $0.66, while revenue reached $9.32 billion but declined 1.4% year over year. The company maintained fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.55–$2.65.
• Starbucks shares opened at $104.47, and analysts’ consensus rating was “Hold” with an average price target of $110.30. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share, representing a 2.4% annualized yield.

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,071,731 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 108,227 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned about 0.18% of Starbucks worth $211,710,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the second quarter worth about $25,000. Black Cypress Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Phillip James Consulting Co. purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total value of $236,251.71. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 75,135 shares in the company, valued at $7,963,558.65. This trade represents a 2.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 5,046 shares of company stock worth $526,868 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $104.47 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 60.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.97. Starbucks Corporation has a one year low of $77.99 and a one year high of $110.51. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $105.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $101.14.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.66 by $0.19. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. The company had revenue of $9.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. Starbucks's revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 142.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on SBUX shares. Wedbush started coverage on Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an "outperform" rating for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective (up from $110.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Starbucks from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $126.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Compass Point began coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. They set a "buy" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $110.30.

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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