Legal & General Group Plc Acquires 14,850 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Legal & General Group Plc increased its Starbucks stake by 14,850 shares in Q4, bringing its total holding to 7.04 million shares worth about $592.9 million.
• Starbucks reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $0.50 versus the $0.44 estimate and revenue of $9.53 billion versus $9.17 billion expected. Revenue rose 8.8% year over year, and the company reiterated FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.25 to 2.45.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share, payable May 29, for an annualized yield of about 2.4%. Analyst sentiment remains positive overall, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $107.48.

Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 0.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,041,171 shares of the coffee company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,850 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc owned about 0.62% of Starbucks worth $592,937,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Starbucks in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in Starbucks in the third quarter valued at $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Starbucks in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $103.11 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $117.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 78.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $98.71 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $93.35. Starbucks Corporation has a one year low of $77.99 and a one year high of $108.88.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 187.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $117.00 target price on shares of Starbucks and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an "overweight" rating for the company. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Starbucks from a "strong sell" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Starbucks from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Starbucks from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.48.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,053,565. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total transaction of $233,621.49. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 81,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,548,198.79. This represents a 2.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 11,187 shares of company stock valued at $1,111,085. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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