Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Sells Shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) recently sold shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX). In a filing disclosed on February 04th, the Senator disclosed that they had sold between $1,001 and $15,000 in Starbucks stock on January 9th.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Home Depot (NYSE:HD) on 1/9/2026.
• Sold $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) on 1/9/2026.
• Sold $15,001 – $50,000 in shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) on 1/9/2026.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Guardant Health (NASDAQ:GH) on 11/21/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of Hershey (NYSE:HSY) on 11/21/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 – $15,000 in shares of CocaCola (NYSE:KO) on 11/21/2025.

Starbucks Trading Up 4.2%

Shares of SBUX opened at $96.97 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $88.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.14. The company has a market cap of $110.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 80.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.96. Starbucks Corporation has a twelve month low of $75.50 and a twelve month high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 204.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on SBUX. New Street Research set a $90.00 target price on Starbucks in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Dbs Bank lowered Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Eighteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.67.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, Director Jorgen Vig Knudstorp bought 11,700 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $85.00 per share, for a total transaction of $994,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 53,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,513,160. This represents a 28.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starbucks

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Narwhal Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 39.6% in the second quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 32,738 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $3,000,000 after acquiring an additional 9,282 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 13,262 shares during the last quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at $653,000. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Starbucks by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 548,768 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $46,426,000 after purchasing an additional 16,428 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pegasus Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter worth $1,289,000. 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: Analysts and commentary highlight sizable domestic growth runway — multiple pieces discuss whether Starbucks can add ~10,000 more U.S. locations, supporting long-term revenue growth expectations. Can Starbucks Open Another 10,000 Stores in the U.S.?
• Positive Sentiment: Management is simplifying the menu and trimming items — a move investors view as margin-accretive by lowering complexity and labor/cost pressure. Starbucks Savages Menu, Starbucks Stock (NASDAQ:SBUX) Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage and earnings commentary point to a recovery in the fiscal Q1 sales trend — investors expect profitability to reaccelerate as comps normalize and new-store economics improve. Investors Are Piling Into This Stock That’s Up 28,000% Since Its IPO. Can It Soar in 2026?
• Neutral Sentiment: Union activity remains in the headlines — calls like “delete the app” from strikers are creating noise, but the initial market reaction has been mixed, not uniformly negative. Investors will watch customer engagement and sales trends closely. “Delete the App”: Strikers Call on Customers to Help Advance Union, Starbucks Stock (NASDAQ:SBUX) Jumps in Response
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks is a trending/screened stock in retail investor and research sites — more attention can amplify moves but doesn’t itself change fundamentals. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst notes and sector write-ups provide context but offer mixed takes on timing and catalysts; they add background rather than a clear near-term directional trigger. Analysts Offer Insights on Consumer Cyclical Companies: Starbucks (SBUX)…
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup issued a pessimistic price forecast for SBUX, which can pressure sentiment and act as a sell-side headwind if other firms follow. Citigroup Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Stock Price
• Negative Sentiment: A new STOCK Act disclosure shows Senator Sheldon Whitehouse sold SBUX shares — insider/related-party sales can be interpreted negatively by some investors, even if sales have non-fundamental reasons. Congress Trade: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Just Disclosed New Stock Trades

About Senator Whitehouse

Sheldon Whitehouse (Democratic Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island. He assumed office on January 3, 2007. His current term ends on January 3, 2031.

Whitehouse (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Rhode Island. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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.