JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Stock

Key Points

• JPMorgan raised its Starbucks target to $100 and kept an overweight rating, implying roughly a 0.9% upside from the recent close.
• The stock has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” (16 Buys, 13 Holds, 1 Sell) and a consensus price target of $104.75.
• Starbucks missed EPS ($0.56 vs. $0.59) but beat revenue estimates ($9.92B) and gave FY2026 guidance of 2.15–2.40 EPS; management’s new AI platform, loyalty-program tweaks and tech cost cuts are cited as potential growth and margin catalysts.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) had its target price upped by investment analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $95.00 to $100.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "overweight" rating on the coffee company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price would indicate a potential upside of 0.90% from the company's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Starbucks from an "underperform" rating to a "hold" rating and lifted their price objective 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. DA Davidson restated a "neutral" rating and set a $97.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded Starbucks to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Monday, March 30th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Starbucks in a report on Monday, March 9th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.75.

Starbucks Price Performance

SBUX traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $99.11. 1,855,747 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,633,669. The business's 50-day moving average price is $95.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $112.91 billion, a PE ratio of 81.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.95. Starbucks has a 1-year low of $75.50 and a 1-year high of $104.82.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The company had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. The company'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, analysts expect that Starbucks will post 2.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,788 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,378,800. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,958 shares of company stock worth $667,464 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Starbucks

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 433,112 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $36,576,000 after acquiring an additional 13,262 shares during the last quarter. Providence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth $6,099,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 3.1% in the third 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 during the period. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in Starbucks in the third quarter worth $3,491,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Starbucks by 0.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 113,438,902 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $9,596,931,000 after purchasing an additional 577,279 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks unveiled a new AI platform that investors hope will boost personalization, drive orders and expand reach — a potentially meaningful growth lever if adoption scales. Starbucks Reveals Groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform. Will It Finally Recover?
• Positive Sentiment: Loyalty-program tweaks (including a popular 60‑star redemption option) are drawing value-seeking customers and improving traffic/mix — a near-term revenue and retention tailwind ahead of earnings. Starbucks new loyalty program attracting value-seeking customers
• Positive Sentiment: Corporate moves — selection of Nashville for a new Southeast office and a reported $100M investment — have catalyzed investor optimism about restructuring/efficiency and were linked to recent share strength. What's Behind The Jump In Starbucks Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Management is reworking tech strategy to bring roles back in‑house and pare back lower-priority tech jobs — a cost-reduction program that could improve margins over time. Starbucks Brewing up Global Tech Plan to Bring Jobs Back in-House and Slash Costs
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are mixed ahead of Q2; some firms see upside while others remain cautious — investors should watch same-store sales, loyalty engagement and margins on the April 28 print. Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX Stock Price Expected to Rise, Stifel Nicolaus Analyst Says
• Neutral Sentiment: Partner/upstream deals like Nestlé extending K-Cup distribution support at-home branded coffee growth but are unlikely to move near-term comps materially. Nestlé Extends Starbucks K Cup Alliance As Shares Trade Below Targets
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed a "Neutral" rating with a ~$97 price target — slightly below the market — signaling limited near-term upside from that shop and giving sellers ammunition. Starbucks NASDAQ: SBUX Earns "Neutral" Rating from DA Davidson
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure from chains like Dutch Bros. and Dunkin' (expanding drive-throughs/exurbs) and slower margin recovery could cap upside if Starbucks' initiatives don't accelerate spend. Starbucks rival challenges coffee giant's dominance

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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