Royal Fund Management LLC Sells 91,189 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Royal Fund Management LLC cut its Starbucks stake by 61.3% in Q4, selling 91,189 shares and leaving 57,666 shares valued at $4.858 million.
• Company insiders sold stock recently — CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares and EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares — totaling 4,729 shares in the last 90 days, and insiders now own just 0.03% of the company.
• Analysts have a consensus of Moderate Buy (15 Buys, 12 Holds, 1 Sell) with an average price target of $103.07, while Starbucks set FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.15–2.40 after a quarter that showed revenue growth but an EPS miss.

Royal Fund Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 61.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,666 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 91,189 shares during the period. Royal Fund Management LLC's holdings in Starbucks were worth $4,858,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 5,288 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $447,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Wynn Capital LLC lifted its position in Starbucks by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 11,895 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,002,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Starbucks by 1.1% in the third quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,004 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $931,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR boosted its stake in Starbucks by 1.1% in the third quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR now owns 11,437 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $968,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 3.5% during the second quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,765 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $345,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on SBUX. William Blair raised shares of Starbucks from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $113.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays set a $116.00 price target on shares of Starbucks and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Fifteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.07.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $159,373.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,605 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,411,077.60. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 4,729 shares of company stock worth $460,974 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors re-elected Starbucks’ full board and rejected a labor-backed slate, reducing near-term governance uncertainty and preserving management’s strategic plan. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: CEO stated the company’s turnaround is starting to show up in the store experience, signaling improving execution on traffic, service and customer experience that could support revenue and margins if sustained. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational changes — new ordering kiosks, scheduled app orders, a restructured licensed-store model and the GROW program — aim to reduce service bottlenecks and improve throughput in high-traffic formats, which can help margins and customer satisfaction over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks listed six-figure corporate roles for a new Nashville office as it builds a Southeastern hub — a sign of expansion and talent investment but also an added cost center in the near term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: SeekAlpha/Tipranks summaries and highlights from the annual meeting reiterate governance votes and strategy updates — useful context for shareholders but largely confirmatory rather than market-moving. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer note: Dutch Bros (BROS) has slid despite growth, reflecting investor sensitivity to expansion costs and margins in the specialty coffee segment — a sector datapoint but not a direct Starbucks-specific catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Citizens Jmp started coverage with a "market underperform" rating and an $84 price target, signaling at least one analyst sees limited upside and adding near-term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising gasoline prices could reduce drive-thru visits industrywide, posing a traffic risk for stores reliant on convenience and drive-thru sales if elevated fuel costs persist. Read More.

Starbucks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $86.72 on Tuesday. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $75.50 and a fifty-two week high of $104.82. The firm has a market cap of $98.80 billion, a PE ratio of 71.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $88.83.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The firm had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Research analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

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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