Insider Selling: Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) CEO Sells 1,641 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Starbucks CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares on March 5 at an average price of $97.12 for $159,373.92, trimming his stake by 1.86% to 86,605 shares (worth about $8.41M).
• Quarterly results were mixed: Starbucks missed EPS expectations with $0.56 (vs. $0.59 est.) while revenue grew 5.5% to $9.92B, and management set FY2026 EPS guidance of $2.15–$2.40.
• Analysts overall remain mildly positive with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and a $104.22 target as the stock trades near $99.77, though valuation is elevated (P/E ~82.5) and sentiment is mixed from recent upgrades and downgrades.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of Starbucks 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 $159,373.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,411,077.60. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.8%

Starbucks stock traded up $0.78 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $99.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,372,640 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,650,715. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $75.50 and a fifty-two week high of $106.00. The company has a market cap of $113.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.93. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $93.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.87.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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). Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. The company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $95.00 price target (up from $90.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $103.00 price target (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America set a $114.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.22.

More Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New Nashville supply‑chain hub — Management's opening of a supply‑chain and corporate hub in Nashville (with some Seattle staff relocation and local hiring) could lower distribution costs, improve store inventory flow and support new product rollouts, boosting margins over time. Starbucks’ New Nashville Supply Chain Hub Could Be A Game Changer For Starbucks (SBUX)
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. transactions rising — Zacks notes U.S. transactions increased for the first time in eight quarters, lifting comps and signaling improving customer traffic, which supports revenue recovery risk/reward. The Zacks Analyst Blog Starbucks, McDonald's and Dutch Bros
• Neutral Sentiment: New coverage from DA Davidson — Additional analyst coverage can increase liquidity and attention but doesn't signal a directional view by itself. Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX Research Coverage Started at DA Davidson
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/price context — Recent commentary on whether the current share price is “fair” highlights mixed short‑term performance and that investors are reassessing long‑term growth vs. elevated multiples. Is Starbucks (SBUX) Pricing Fair After Recent Mixed Share Price Performance?
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgrade — Wolfe Research cut SBUX to Peer Perform (from Outperform), warning Starbucks is early in a multi‑year turnaround and faces high execution risk; analyst skepticism can pressure sentiment and cap multiple expansion. Starbucks downgraded at Wolfe Research as execution risk remains high
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive/sector criticism — Commentary urging investors to buy a different coffee stock and coverage pieces highlighting competition add downward pressure on conviction for SBUX as a growth play. Don’t Buy Starbucks Stock (SBUX), Says Wolfe Research. Buy This Coffee Company Instead
• Negative Sentiment: Brand backlash risk — A government health official's public criticism about sugar in seasonal drinks could dent brand perception and invite regulatory or PR headwinds around product formulation and marketing. Starbucks Balances Nashville Supply Chain Push With Sugar Backlash Questions

Institutional Trading of Starbucks

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,410,675 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $9,634,523,000 after purchasing an additional 971,773 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 8,774,198 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 9.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 84,727,405 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $7,135,228,000 after purchasing an additional 7,007,268 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,869,056 shares of the coffee company's stock worth $4,031,053,000 after buying an additional 327,161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,373,084 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $2,212,153,000 after acquiring an additional 225,168 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

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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