Starbucks' (SBUX) Buy Rating Reiterated at Tigress Financial

Key Points

• Tigress Financial reaffirmed its Buy rating on Starbucks with a lowered price target of $122 (from $136), implying roughly a 23.5% upside from the current share price.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed-to-positive — 16 Buys, 13 Holds and 1 Sell with a consensus target of $104.57 — while the stock trades around $98.80 and carries a high P/E (81.6), which could limit upside absent stronger fundamentals.
• Starbucks recently missed quarterly EPS ($0.56 vs. $0.59) though revenue rose 5.5% year-over-year; management set FY2026 guidance of $2.15–$2.40 EPS versus sell‑side average expectations of $2.99, contributing to varied analyst views.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Tigress Financial in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $122.00 price target on the coffee company's stock, down from their prior price target of $136.00. Tigress Financial's price target would suggest a potential upside of 23.48% from the company's current price.

SBUX has been the subject of several other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Starbucks from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and set a $105.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, March 17th. Bank of America set a $114.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and issued a $89.00 price objective (up from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Guggenheim reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $95.00 price target (up from $90.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.57.

Starbucks Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of SBUX traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $98.80. 1,972,874 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,917,213. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $95.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.64. The company has a market cap of $112.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Starbucks will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Starbucks news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares in the company, valued at $8,411,077.60. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 6,370 shares of company stock worth $608,664. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. NWF Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,349 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. Aerodigm Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. River Street Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 38.2% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 409 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 3,907 shares of the coffee company's stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is rolling out a ChatGPT-integrated experience to help customers discover personalized drinks, a consumer-facing AI push that could boost engagement and drive more store visits. Starbucks (SBUX) Stock Surges as Coffee Giant Integrates AI-Powered ChatGPT App
• Positive Sentiment: CNBC reports Starbucks has launched a beta app inside ChatGPT for drink discovery — a visible rollout that may accelerate adoption of the AI feature and supports the narrative of product-led traffic recovery. Starbucks launches beta app in ChatGPT to fuel new drink discovery
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment has improved: Jefferies upgraded SBUX (citing China JV closure and U.S. stabilization) and Morgan Stanley remains Buy, supporting the stock’s recent run and reducing tail‑risk from China exposure. Starbucks' China franchise deal improves visibility into turnaround -- Jefferies
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks set its Q2 FY2026 earnings release and conference call for April 28 — a near-term event that could move the stock depending on comps, margins and guidance. Starbucks Announces Q2 Fiscal Year 2026 Results Conference Call
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings coverage and previews are out; analysts expect single-digit profit improvement, so the print and commentary on U.S. traffic will be closely watched. Starbucks’ Quarterly Earnings Preview: What You Need to Know
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive pressure: McDonald’s is ramping specialty beverages at lower prices, which could pressure Starbucks’ traffic and pricing power in the U.S. over time. McDonald’s Spices Up Soft Drink Menus with Dirty Sodas, Specialty Bevs
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a concern: analysts note SBUX still trades at a premium (high P/E) relative to peers, which could cap upside absent sustained fundamental improvement. Jefferies Upgrades Starbucks to Hold as China Franchise Exit and U.S. Stabilization Improve Visibility

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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