Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) EVP Sells $242,800.00 in Stock

Key Points

• Starbucks EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares on March 5 at an average price of $97.12 for proceeds of $242,800, cutting her stake by 4.03% to 59,609 shares, as disclosed in an SEC Form 4.
• In its latest quarter Starbucks missed EPS estimates ($0.56 vs. $0.59) but beat revenue expectations with $9.92 billion, and set FY2026 guidance of $2.15–$2.40 EPS while analysts model about $2.99 for the current fiscal year.
• Shares were trading around $99.77 (up 0.8%) with a market cap of $113.67 billion and a high P/E of 82.45; analyst consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $104.22 target price.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,789,226.08. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.8%

Starbucks stock traded up $0.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $99.77. 9,372,640 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,650,715. Starbucks Corporation has a 1-year low of $75.50 and a 1-year high of $106.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $93.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.87. The stock 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.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.Starbucks's quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Transce3nd LLC boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 270.3% in the 2nd quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 274 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Collier Financial bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Phillip James Consulting Co. bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SBUX shares. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Monday. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. New Street Research set a $90.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Bank of America set a $114.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.22.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

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

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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