Truist Financial Corp Reduces Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Truist Financial Corp trimmed its stake in Starbucks by 12.2% in Q4, selling 100,359 shares and now holds 724,276 shares (about 0.06% of the company), valued at roughly $60.99 million.
• Starbucks beat revenue and EPS expectations and set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $2.25–$2.45; Wall Street’s consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $106.93 price target and several firms raising targets (Stifel to $115).

Truist Financial Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 724,276 shares of the coffee company's stock after selling 100,359 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp owned about 0.06% of Starbucks worth $60,991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 11.4% during 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 in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 3,596,014 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 22.5% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $1,243,104,000 after buying an additional 2,699,479 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 80.6% during the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,105,164 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $433,923,000 after buying an additional 2,277,792 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 1,462,874 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SBUX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on Starbucks from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Bank of America set a $114.00 price target on Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $97.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $110.00 price target (up from $105.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $106.93.

Starbucks News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks reported a revenue and EPS beat for the latest quarter and set FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $2.25–$2.45, leaving analysts modeling roughly $2.40 for the year — fundamentals that support the stock’s higher valuation.
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish coverage: Jim Cramer highlighted Starbucks in recent segments and made upbeat predictions about the name, which can attract retail momentum and support sentiment. Jim Cramer Big, Explosive Prediction About Starbucks (SBUX)
• Neutral Sentiment: Former Starbucks executive Roz Brewer (now in academia/industry roles) spoke at the Milken Conference about bridging college and corporate America — a reputational/leadership story with limited near‑term market impact. Roz Brewer on bridging college and corporate America at Milken 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Company culture/bench strength story — a Fortune profile on a former part‑time barista now shaping menu strategy highlights internal talent development but is unlikely to move the stock. He started as a part-time Starbucks barista at 17. Now he’s an exec designing the menu
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer backlash to CEO Brian Niccol calling a $9 cup a “premium experience” has gone viral and pressured sentiment — social media ire and headlines have been cited as the proximate reason for weaker intraday trading. Starbucks CEO gets roasted for $9 ‘premium experience’ remarks, but Wall Street toasts his tariff-era turnaround strategy “I Gotta Stop Going to Starbucks”, Starbucks Stock NASDAQ: SBUX Slips on Niccols’ Remarks
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks removed a free‑drink perk the company offered previously — a customer experience change that could weigh on loyalty metrics if it frustrates frequent visitors. Starbucks removes free drink perk customers may miss
• Negative Sentiment: Small insider selling: an executive sale of roughly $210k was reported — not large enough to signal major insider liquidity pressure but negative in optics. Insider Selling: Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX EVP Sells $210,000.00 in Stock
• Negative Sentiment: Consumer cost‑cutting narratives and personal‑finance pieces encouraging people to “ditch Starbucks” amplify the headline risk of demand sensitivity in a high‑price environment. Ditch Starbucks and DoorDash, George Kamel Says. How Cheap Appliances Can Replace Your Takeout Budget

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,788 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,378,800. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 57,653 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,053,565. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,958 shares of company stock valued at $877,464. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Starbucks Trading Down 0.9%

SBUX stock opened at $104.93 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $96.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $91.09. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $77.99 and a 12-month high of $107.52. The company has a market cap of $119.55 billion, a PE ratio of 79.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm 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. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Starbucks's dividend payout ratio is 187.88%.

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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