Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Stake Boosted by Retirement Solution LLC

Key Points

• Retirement Solution LLC boosted its stake in Starbucks by 574.1% in Q4, buying 18,169 shares to own 21,334 shares valued at $1.797 million, making SBUX about 0.4% of the fund's portfolio and its 14th largest holding.
• Institutional investors own 72.29% of SBUX, with major positions from firms like Capital Research Global Investors and Capital World Investors; Wall Street's consensus is a Moderate Buy (16 Buys, 13 Holds, 1 Sell) with an average target price of $104.75.
• Starbucks declared a $0.62 quarterly dividend ($2.48 annualized, 2.5% yield) despite a high payout ratio of 204.96%, and reported a quarterly EPS miss while guiding FY2026 EPS to 2.15–2.40 (analysts project ~2.31).

Retirement Solution LLC increased its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 574.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,334 shares of the coffee company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,169 shares during the quarter. Starbucks accounts for about 0.4% of Retirement Solution LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Retirement Solution LLC's holdings in Starbucks were worth $1,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Starbucks by 11.4% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $7,229,968,000 after buying an additional 8,774,198 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Starbucks by 146.6% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,049,192 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $553,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,596,014 shares during the period. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,243,104,000 after purchasing an additional 2,699,479 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 80.6% in the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,105,164 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $433,923,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.9% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $6,575,430,000 after purchasing an additional 1,462,874 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on SBUX. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $97.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Starbucks in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. BNP Paribas Exane raised Starbucks to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 price objective on Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $104.75.

Starbucks Stock Performance

SBUX opened at $98.67 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $112.41 billion, a PE ratio of 81.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.95. Starbucks Corporation has a 1 year low of $75.50 and a 1 year high of $104.82. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $96.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.49.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). The firm 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Starbucks's payout ratio is currently 204.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The stock was 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 approximately $8,378,800. The trade was a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,958 shares of company stock worth $667,464. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Starbucks News Roundup

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 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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