Nicholas Company Inc. Acquires 77,305 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Nicholas Company Inc. increased its Starbucks stake by 11.8% in the fourth quarter, buying 77,305 shares and bringing its total holding to 733,950 shares valued at about $61.8 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. Revenue rose 8.8% year over year, and the company reiterated FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.25 to 2.45.
• The stock is near its 52-week high, opening at $104.93, while analysts remain mixed but generally constructive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.00. Meanwhile, insiders recently sold shares under pre-arranged trading plans.

Nicholas Company Inc. boosted its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 11.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 733,950 shares of the coffee company's stock after acquiring an additional 77,305 shares during the period. Starbucks accounts for 1.1% of Nicholas Company Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Nicholas Company Inc. owned about 0.06% of Starbucks worth $61,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. River Street Advisors LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,138,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Opus Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC now owns 3,187 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Wynn Capital LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 11,895 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the period. Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,004 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $931,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 4,223 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $356,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $104.93 on Monday. Starbucks Corporation has a 52 week low of $77.99 and a 52 week high of $107.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $119.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 79.49, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.01. The stock's fifty day moving average is $97.07 and its 200 day moving average is $91.54.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.Starbucks's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 187.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial assumed coverage on Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $122.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. New Street Research set a $90.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Starbucks from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $107.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 value of $233,621.49. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 81,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,548,198.79. This trade represents a 2.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,053,565. This 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 sold 11,187 shares of company stock worth $1,111,085 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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