Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Oppenheimer Asset Management cut its stake in Starbucks by 19.7% in Q4, selling 72,755 shares and leaving 296,802 shares worth about $24.99 million.
• Starbucks reported a beat‑and‑raise quarter—EPS $0.50 vs. $0.44 expected and revenue $9.53B vs. $9.17B—and raised FY26 guidance to $2.25–$2.45 in EPS, helping drive recent share strength.
• Analysts hold a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $106.93, though some warn of stretched valuation and margin pressure despite improving traffic and revenue trends.

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 19.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 296,802 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 72,755 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Starbucks were worth $24,994,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Starbucks by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 433,112 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $36,576,000 after buying an additional 13,262 shares during the period. Providence Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth about $6,099,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Starbucks by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 548,768 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $46,426,000 after buying an additional 16,428 shares during the period. Allstate Corp acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,491,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Starbucks by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 113,438,902 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $9,596,931,000 after buying an additional 577,279 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Starbucks from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research began coverage on Starbucks in a report on Monday, March 9th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Barclays set a $116.00 target price on Starbucks and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Dbs Bank upgraded Starbucks from a "strong sell" rating to a "moderate sell" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $106.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $159,373.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,411,077.60. This trade represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 8,958 shares of company stock valued at $877,464 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $105.33 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $120.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.80, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.95. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $96.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.95. Starbucks Corporation has a 52-week low of $77.99 and a 52-week high of $107.27.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share (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 analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.Starbucks's quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. Analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.33 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Starbucks's payout ratio is 187.88%.

More Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company delivered a beat‑and‑raise Q2 (revenue and EPS above estimates) and raised FY26 guidance — the core catalyst behind recent investor enthusiasm. Starbucks Stock Gains as Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: The "Back to Starbucks" $500M investment in staffing, scheduling and stores is driving traffic and loyalty pickup — evidence the turnaround is gaining durable traction. Starbucks Invested $500 Million in a Turnaround and Now Wall Street Is Drinking Up SBUX Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Comp-store sales and traffic rebound (U.S. comps ~7%) helped produce the first EPS increase in two years — analysts have raised targets and the stock ran to fresh highs. Starbucks' Traffic Rebound Powers Strong Comp Growth in Q2 FY26
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational changes (faster lines, bulk espresso shots, rewards refresh) improve service and scale potential but will need time to demonstrate sustainable margin benefits. Starbucks speeds up wait times with 4-minute lines...
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate moves like a new $100M Nashville hub signal long‑term structural shifts and costs but are not material to near‑term sales momentum. Starbucks is heading to Nashville — and it's part of a bigger fast-food migration south
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale: EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares under a pre‑arranged 10b5‑1 plan — disclosed but routine and not an obvious signal of management weakness. Sara Kelly Sells 2,000 Shares of Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure: higher labor and store investments have kept operating margins under strain, raising questions about the pace of profit recovery despite top‑line momentum. Starbucks customers are coming back. Profits haven't caught up yet.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and pullback risk: the sharp YTD run has some investors asking whether gains are priced in — several cautionary takes highlight stretched multiples and potential downside if margin recovery slips. Has Starbucks (SBUX) Run Too Far After Its 32% One Year Share Price Gain?

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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