Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Sold by Benjamin Edwards Inc.

Key Points

• Benjamin Edwards Inc. lowered its stake in Starbucks by 10.4%, selling 11,940 shares and leaving it with 102,530 shares valued at about $8.63 million.
• Starbucks beat Q2 estimates (EPS $0.50 vs. $0.44; revenue $9.53B vs. $9.17B) and raised FY26 guidance to 2.25–2.45 EPS, with analysts holding a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.93.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.62 (2.3% yield) despite a high payout ratio of 187.88% and ongoing margin pressure, while institutional investors own about 72.29% of the stock.

Benjamin Edwards Inc. lowered its stake in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 102,530 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 11,940 shares during the quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc.'s holdings in Starbucks were worth $8,634,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on SBUX. TD Cowen reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $106.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays set a $116.00 target price on Starbucks and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Starbucks from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their target price on Starbucks from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Sixteen equities research 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $106.93.

Starbucks Price Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $105.90 on Monday. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $77.99 and a fifty-two week high of $107.52. The stock's 50-day moving average is $96.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.09. The stock has a market cap of $120.65 billion, a PE ratio of 80.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.The company had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Starbucks's payout ratio is currently 187.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at $6,053,565. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $58,800.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,788 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,378,800. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,958 shares of company stock valued at $877,464. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 beat-and-raise: Starbucks reported stronger-than-expected revenue and EPS and lifted FY26 guidance, with comps recovering — the primary catalyst for the rally. Starbucks Stock Gains as Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile endorsement: Jim Cramer and other commentators praised the quarter and improving margins, helping investor confidence in a durable turnaround. Jim Cramer Explains Why Improving Margins Will Make Starbucks Stock Cheap
• Positive Sentiment: “Back to Starbucks” investment showing results: the ~$500M program to simplify service, add staff and speed orders is credited with lifting traffic and loyalty engagement. Starbucks Invested $500 Million in a Turnaround and Now Wall Street Is Drinking Up SBUX Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Execution improvements (shorter lines, faster pours, rewards tweaks) support growth but need sustained roll-out to lift margins meaningfully. Starbucks speeds up wait times with 4-minute lines...
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate moves (new Nashville hub, footprint/office shifts) are strategic but not material to near-term top-line momentum. Starbucks is heading to Nashville — and it's part of a bigger fast-food migration south
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed (EVP sold shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan) — notable but executed under a trading plan, so not an immediate red flag. Sara Kelly Sells 2,000 Shares of Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains: higher labor and store-investment costs are constraining profit recovery, so the market will watch operating-margin trends closely. Starbucks customers are coming back. Profits haven't caught up yet.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation questions after strong run: some analysts warn the stock's rapid gain may have priced in much of the turnaround, raising downside risk if margins lag. Has Starbucks (SBUX) Run Too Far After Its 32% One Year Share Price Gain?

Starbucks 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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