Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Mesirow Financial Investment Management cut its Starbucks stake by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 109,346 shares valued at about $9.2 million.
• Starbucks reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $0.50 versus $0.44 expected and revenue of $9.53 billion versus $9.17 billion expected, while also issuing FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.25 to 2.45.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive overall: several firms lifted price targets, and the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with an average target price of $107.

Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,346 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 14,668 shares during the quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Starbucks were worth $9,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 86.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 176,722 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $16,126,000 after buying an additional 81,952 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 47.0% in the second quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $334,000 after buying an additional 1,164 shares during the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter worth approximately $288,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 92.8% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,225 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 2,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 7.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 112,710 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $10,328,000 after buying an additional 7,978 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stifel reiterated a Buy rating on Starbucks and raised its price target to $117 from $115, reinforcing confidence in the company’s turnaround effort and helping support the stock. Stifel Reaffirms Bullish View on Starbucks Corporation (SBUX)
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Starbucks is opening hundreds of new stores suggest continued expansion and long-term growth potential, which investors often view favorably. Dollar Tree and Starbucks are suddenly opening hundreds of new stores as retail doom stories pile up
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks’ turnaround appears to be progressing, with commentary that the “comeback has started,” which may improve sentiment around the stock. Starbucks: The Comeback Has Started But The Growth Story Is Not Proven
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks completed a tech reorganization that eliminated 61 jobs at its Seattle headquarters, a cost-cutting move that may help efficiency but also signals ongoing restructuring. Starbucks cuts 61 tech jobs at Seattle HQ in reorg
• Neutral Sentiment: Tennessee lawmakers are considering a $30 million incentive package tied to Starbucks’ planned Nashville office, which could support expansion but is still just a proposal. Tennessee lawmakers debate $30M incentive deal with Starbucks
• Negative Sentiment: Rising coffee prices are pressuring margins across the industry, including Starbucks, and management has been cautious about passing those costs on to consumers. Coffee prices keep rising, and chains like Dutch Bros are swallowing most of the costs
• Negative Sentiment: A note saying Starbucks’ growth story is “not proven” suggests some investors still want clearer evidence that the turnaround will translate into sustained performance. Starbucks: The Comeback Has Started But The Growth Story Is Not Proven

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total value of $233,621.49. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 81,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,548,198.79. The trade was a 2.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through 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 business's 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at $6,053,565. This represents 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 11,187 shares of company stock worth $1,111,085. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the topic of a number of research reports. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Bank of America set a $114.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Tigress Financial began coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $122.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and set a $106.00 target price (up from $96.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $107.00.

Starbucks Price Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $105.95 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $120.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.27, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.01. Starbucks Corporation has a 1 year low of $77.99 and a 1 year high of $108.05. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $97.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.12.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.53 billion for 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 business posted $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 187.88%.

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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