Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Sold by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. cut its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 4.4% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 122,919 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 5,715 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $12,561,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 86.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 176,722 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $16,126,000 after purchasing an additional 81,952 shares in the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. raised its stake in Starbucks by 47.0% in the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $334,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164 shares during the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $288,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its position in Starbucks by 92.8% during the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,225 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 2,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 112,710 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $10,328,000 after purchasing an additional 7,978 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total transaction of $236,251.71. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,963,558.65. This trade represents a 2.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,687 shares of company stock worth $681,663 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Labor-related court victory reduces legal risk. A U.S. appeals court overturned a National Labor Relations Board ruling involving Starbucks’ restrictions on union-supportive shirts and pins at a Manhattan store. The decision supports the company’s dress-code policy and represents a setback for organized-labor efforts, potentially reducing compliance and litigation risk. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: Turnaround momentum is improving. Recent coverage points to accelerating sales, better execution and 7.9% global comparable-sales growth. Starbucks is also pursuing coffeehouse improvements and cost savings, while its $1.8 billion debt repayment should lower financing costs and strengthen balance-sheet flexibility. Motley Fool article Zacks article
• Positive Sentiment: New traffic initiatives could support near-term demand. Starbucks is using nostalgia-oriented marketing and seasonal offerings to encourage visits as it seeks to regain momentum after several difficult years. TheStreet article
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation already reflects much of the recovery. Analysts cited improving comps, higher guidance, margin gains and debt reduction, but rated SBUX “Hold” because its elevated valuation leaves less room for execution misses and remains exposed to macroeconomic and consumer-spending risks. Seeking Alpha article
• Negative Sentiment: Product-safety concerns and intense competition remain overhangs. Starbucks is discontinuing a drink-blending powder after airborne particles reportedly caused coughing and illness complaints from baristas. Meanwhile, rapid expansion by Dutch Bros, Scooter’s and other drive-through coffee brands could pressure traffic and market share. Yahoo Finance article

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $115.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded Starbucks from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $126.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $130.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.30.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $106.72 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $121.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.33, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $105.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $100.98. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $77.99 and a fifty-two week high of $110.51.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.19. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. The company had revenue of $9.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.50 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is 142.53%.

Starbucks 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.