QRG Capital Management Inc. Has $16.31 Million Stock Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• QRG Capital Management increased its Starbucks stake by 10.5% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 159,617 shares valued at approximately $16.31 million. Institutional investors collectively own 72.29% of SBUX.
• Starbucks beat quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, reporting EPS of $0.85 and revenue of $9.32 billion, though revenue declined 1.4% year over year. The company is pursuing a turnaround through its “Back to Starbucks” initiative and plans to upgrade about 1,500 North American locations by fiscal 2026.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed, with a consensus “Hold” rating and average price target of $110.30. Investors are weighing operational improvements against high valuation, rising labor and insurance costs, and substantial makeover spending.

QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 10.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 159,617 shares of the coffee company's stock after acquiring an additional 15,211 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Starbucks were worth $16,311,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at $8,504,509,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Starbucks in the second quarter valued at about $1,581,287,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth about $1,232,650,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Starbucks by 65.9% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,637,704,000 after buying an additional 7,725,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the second quarter worth about $779,790,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $94.14 on Thursday. Starbucks Corporation has a 52 week low of $77.99 and a 52 week high of $110.51. The firm's fifty day moving average is $103.74 and its 200-day moving average is $101.24. The firm has a market cap of $107.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.10, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.97.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.19. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. The business had revenue of $9.32 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is accelerating its “Back to Starbucks” initiative, targeting upgrades at approximately 1,500 North American coffeehouses by the end of fiscal 2026. Remodels focused on comfort, local identity and the in-store experience could support customer traffic, brand engagement and sales productivity. Starbucks Accelerates Back To Starbucks Revamp Across North America
• Positive Sentiment: The company is nearing 80%–90% digital menu-board coverage. More flexible merchandising may improve afternoon demand, particularly for Refreshers and food attachments, potentially helping sales outside the morning peak. SBUX Digital Menu Rollout Nears 90 Percent
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage describes Starbucks as being “back” operationally, with a roughly $1 billion café makeover plan. The investment reinforces management’s turnaround strategy, although returns will depend on stronger traffic and execution. Starbucks Is Back. Next Up: A 1 Billion Dollar Cafe Makeover
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary highlights a 14% gain over the past year and asks whether the turnaround is already reflected in the share price. Analysts are balancing improving operations with valuation and margin concerns. Starbucks Turnaround Is Improving
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor attention has increased, but general market-interest coverage provides limited new information about Starbucks’ fundamentals. A former Starbucks CEO’s investment in Ryan Clark’s production company also appears unrelated to Starbucks’ operations. Ryan Clark’s Pivot25 Productions Receives Investment
• Negative Sentiment: Higher health-insurance costs are weighing on baristas and could increase labor expenses, creating additional pressure on Starbucks’ margins during the turnaround. Higher Health Insurance Costs Hit Baristas
• Negative Sentiment: The company’s large makeover program requires substantial capital spending, while its dividend yield trails the 10-year Treasury yield. That combination may make the stock less attractive to income-focused investors if growth and cash-flow improvement do not justify the premium valuation. McDonald’s Versus Starbucks Dividend Comparison

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on SBUX shares. Seaport Research Partners assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Guggenheim assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut Starbucks from an "overweight" rating to an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Compass Point started coverage on Starbucks in a report on Monday, August 3rd. They issued a "buy" rating on the stock. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price target on Starbucks from $102.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $110.30.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.60, for a total transaction of $235,382.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 73,149 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,724,534.40. This trade represents a 2.96% decrease in their position. The sale 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. In the last quarter, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock worth $703,450. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation is a global coffeehouse company that roasts, markets and sells specialty coffee, tea, cold beverages, food and other related products. Its offerings include brewed coffee, espresso-based beverages, cold drinks, teas, pastries, breakfast items and packaged coffee and tea products. Starbucks also sells branded merchandise, including drinkware and related accessories.

Founded in 1971 in Seattle, Starbucks has grown from a local coffee retailer into an international business.

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