Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. Makes New Investment in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Trust Services opened a new stake in Starbucks, buying 10,395 shares valued at about $875,000 in Q4, as institutional investors collectively own roughly 72.29% of SBUX.
• Senior insiders trimmed positions — EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares and CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares on March 5, and insiders have sold 6,370 shares in the past 90 days, leaving insiders with just 0.03% ownership.
• Starbucks missed Q (quarter) EPS ($0.56 vs. $0.59) while revenue rose to $9.92B, announced a $0.62 quarterly dividend (2.5% yield; ex-dividend May 15), and carries a Moderate Buy analyst consensus with a ~$104.57 price target.

Wealth Enhancement Trust Services Inc. acquired a new position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 10,395 shares of the coffee company's stock, valued at approximately $875,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Collier Financial bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, PFS Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 457.4% in the 3rd quarter. PFS Partners LLC now owns 340 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Starbucks news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $159,373.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,411,077.60. This trade represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,370 shares of company stock valued at $608,664. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $100.00 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $113.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.64, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50 day moving average of $95.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.94. Starbucks Corporation has a 52 week low of $75.50 and a 52 week high of $104.82.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.62 dividend. 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 is 204.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Starbucks from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $86.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. William Blair raised shares of Starbucks from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $99.00 target price (up from $92.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $105.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Sixteen 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.57.

More Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks launched its app inside ChatGPT / OpenAI’s shopping experience, enabling conversational ordering and easier digital engagement — a potential driver of higher AUVs and customer frequency as Starbucks leans into AI. Starbucks app launches in ChatGPT as OpenAI continues AI shopping push
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a $0.62 quarterly cash dividend (payable May 29; record May 15), reaffirming shareholder returns and appealing to income-focused investors. Starbucks Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: RBC says near-term comparable-store sales are benefiting from recent labor investments, selective store closures and longer hours — operational levers that can lift traffic and margins in the short term. Starbucks Near-Term Comps Benefit From Labor Investments, Store Closures, Longer Hours, RBC Says
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and outlets (Tigress Financial, Zacks) are highlighting a rebound in U.S. traffic and execution gains — supporting the view that Starbucks’ turnaround strategy is producing measurable results. Starbucks Turnaround Strategy Delivering Results, Tigress Financial Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks tested a new drone delivery attempt — a headline-grabbing experiment that could extend delivery reach but remains operationally unproven and unlikely to meaningfully move near-term revenue until scaled. “How Do You Deliver Without Spilling?”: Starbucks Stock NASDAQ: SBUX Gains With New Drone Delivery Attempt
• Positive Sentiment: Industry pieces name Starbucks among a few restaurant stocks positioned to grow, citing menu innovation, digital strategies and sales growth — a reaffirmation of SBUX’s relative strength in a soft category. 3 Restaurant Stocks Positioned to Grow Despite Industry Struggles

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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