Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Purchased by DNB Asset Management AS

Key Points

• DNB Asset Management AS boosted its Starbucks stake by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, ending with 411,540 shares valued at about $34.7 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, while also issuing FY2026 EPS guidance of 2.25 to 2.45.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.62 per share and continues to draw strong institutional interest, with hedge funds and asset managers owning 72.29% of the stock.

DNB Asset Management AS increased its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 411,540 shares of the coffee company's stock after acquiring an additional 53,989 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS's holdings in Starbucks were worth $34,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Starbucks by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,410,675 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $9,634,523,000 after acquiring an additional 971,773 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in Starbucks by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $7,229,968,000 after acquiring an additional 8,774,198 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in Starbucks by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $6,575,430,000 after acquiring an additional 1,462,874 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its stake in Starbucks by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,243,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,699,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Starbucks by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 13,590,494 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,149,756,000 after acquiring an additional 832,540 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $106.82 on Friday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $77.99 and a 12-month high of $108.88. The company has a market capitalization of $121.74 billion, a PE ratio of 80.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.01. The firm's 50-day moving average is $98.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.36.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $9.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The company's revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio is 187.88%.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total transaction of $233,621.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 81,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,548,198.79. This represents a 2.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 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 $242,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold 11,187 shares of company stock valued at $1,111,085 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors appear to like the cost-cutting focus, as the layoffs and office closures are intended to improve efficiency, support margin recovery, and help fund the company’s turnaround strategy. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street sentiment also remains supportive, with TD Cowen upgrading Starbucks to Buy and raising its price target, citing improving sales drivers, margin recovery, and multiple tangible catalysts for the comeback story. Analyst upgrade article
• Neutral Sentiment: The restructuring comes with a sizable estimated $400 million charge, which could weigh on near-term earnings even as management argues the actions will strengthen the business over time. New York Times article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent trading also reflects a broader re-rating of the stock, which has been pushing toward new highs as investors gain confidence in CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround plan. CNBC article
• Negative Sentiment: The job cuts and office closures also signal that the turnaround is still in progress, and the company may continue to face pressure from restructuring costs and execution risk before the benefits show up in results. Wall Street Journal article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. William Blair upgraded shares of Starbucks from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday. They issued an "overweight" rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered shares of Starbucks from a "market perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $107.48.

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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