Sanctuary Advisors LLC Sells 17,605 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Sanctuary Advisors LLC reduced its Starbucks stake by 8.2%, selling 17,605 shares and retaining 197,667 shares valued at about $16.65 million per its latest 13F filing.
• Analyst sentiment has turned more positive—Stifel raised its target to $115 and JPMorgan lifted its target—while Starbucks unveiled a new AI platform investors view as a potential long-term growth and margin catalyst.
• Starbucks announced a quarterly dividend of $0.62 (2.5% yield) and set FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.15–2.40, but mixed analyst views and competitive/seasonal headwinds pose near-term risks.

Sanctuary Advisors LLC cut its stake in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 197,667 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 17,605 shares during the quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC's holdings in Starbucks were worth $16,646,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Saranac Partners Ltd bought a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth about $29,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its price target to $115 (from $105) and reiterated a Buy ahead of the April 28 report — a clear vote of confidence that supports near-term upside expectations. Stifel Boosts Starbucks (SBUX) Target, Sees Earnings In Line with Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target and kept an Overweight rating, reinforcing momentum from recent analyst upgrades that have helped lift sentiment into earnings. JPMorgan Raises Price Target on Starbucks
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks unveiled a new AI platform that management and analysts say could expand personalization, speed service and attract new customers — a strategic catalyst investors view as extending long-term growth and margin opportunities. Starbucks Reveals Groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform
• Positive Sentiment: Changes to the loyalty program are drawing value-seeking customers (higher redemptions of the new $2-off option), which could help traffic and comps if sustained. Starbucks' loyalty program changes are drawing value-conscious customers
• Positive Sentiment: Operational moves — paring back some tech roles, planning global tech hubs to bring work in-house and cut costs — are being framed as margin-improvement actions by investors. Starbucks Brewing up Global Tech Plan to Bring Jobs Back in-House and Slash Costs
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street previews (Zacks/Seeking Alpha) note potential “Back to Starbucks” progress and menu innovation but also flag seasonal margin pressures and cost headwinds — these create earnings risk/reward ambiguity ahead of Q2. Starbucks to Post Q2 Earnings: What's in the Cards for the Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Nestlé extended its K-Cup alliance for Starbucks-branded pods in North America — a steady revenue stream for at-home coffee but likely modest near-term impact on store-level results. Nestlé Extends Starbucks K Cup Alliance
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson issued a Neutral rating, reflecting lingering skepticism from some shops; mixed analyst views can cap upside entering earnings. Starbucks Earns "Neutral" Rating from DA Davidson
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from rivals (e.g., Dutch Bros, Dunkin’) and questions about store footprint strategy (shift to exurbs, drive-thru focus) may pressure margins and same-store-sales in some markets. Starbucks rival challenges coffee giant's dominance

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $98.67 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.41 billion, a PE ratio of 81.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.95. The firm's 50 day moving average is $96.03 and its 200 day moving average is $90.49. Starbucks Corporation has a 1 year low of $75.50 and a 1 year high of $104.82.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors 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 yield of 2.5%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 204.96%.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $58,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,788 shares in the company, valued at $8,378,800. This trade represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks 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 $242,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,958 shares of company stock worth $667,464. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SBUX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas Exane raised shares of Starbucks to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Zacks Research raised shares of Starbucks from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. William Blair raised shares of Starbucks from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Barclays set a $116.00 price target on shares of Starbucks and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.75.

About Starbucks

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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