Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Earns “Buy” Rating from BTIG Research

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by equities research analysts at BTIG Research in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $105.00 price target on the coffee company’s stock. BTIG Research’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 14.19% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group set a $94.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Dbs Bank downgraded shares of Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley set a $105.00 price objective on Starbucks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their price target on Starbucks from $105.00 to $100.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Starbucks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.74.

Starbucks Stock Down 2.1%

SBUX stock opened at $91.95 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $104.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.97. The business has a fifty day moving average of $88.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.16. Starbucks has a 52-week low of $75.50 and a 52-week high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. The company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks’s revenue 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Starbucks will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, Director Jorgen Vig Knudstorp bought 11,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $85.00 per share, for a total transaction of $994,500.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 53,096 shares in the company, valued at $4,513,160. This trade represents a 28.26% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SBUX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,410,675 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $9,634,523,000 after acquiring an additional 971,773 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $7,229,968,000 after acquiring an additional 8,774,198 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.9% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $6,575,430,000 after acquiring an additional 1,462,874 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Starbucks by 1.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,513,332 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $4,353,647,000 after buying an additional 544,534 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Starbucks by 0.4% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 25,846,634 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,357,815,000 after buying an additional 99,983 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor Day and early-operational wins — management showcased the “Back to Starbucks” turnaround (new store designs, AI initiatives, beverage innovation) and reported revenue and comp-sales gains, evidence that traffic and transactions are improving. Starbucks Gets a Jolt After Earnings, But Will the Buzz Last?
• Positive Sentiment: Rewards relaunch to drive frequency — Starbucks announced a three-tiered Rewards program (Green, Gold, Reserve) to encourage repeat visits and personalization, which could lift transactions if adoption matches management’s plan. Starbucks Unveils Reimagined Loyalty Program to Deliver More Meaningful Value, Personalization and Engagement for Members
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO tone and public comments — Brian Niccol signaled willingness to negotiate with union organizers and discussed security and stock‑price questions in media appearances; these comments reduce headline uncertainty but leave execution and labor outcomes unresolved. Starbucks CEO says he is willing to negotiate with unionizers
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth vs. guidance — management updated long‑term targets (FY2028 EPS range) and reiterated growth levers; the guidance shows progress but contains mixed signals versus consensus, so investors are awaiting concrete margin improvements and forward execution. Starbucks CEO on Growth Plans, Pricing and China Market
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed earnings: EPS miss and margin pressure — Starbucks beat on revenue but missed EPS, and management warned margins remain pressured (higher input/labor costs). That combination helped pull back earlier post‑earnings gains and weighs on near‑term stock performance. Why Starbucks (SBUX) Shares Are Down After A Mixed Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Governance/PR headwinds — a shareholder‑rights law firm announced an investigation into officers/directors, and the company removed a cap on the CEO’s private jet use citing security, both creating short‑term reputational and governance risk for the stock. Halper Sadeh LLC Encourages Starbucks Corporation Shareholders To Contact The Firm To Discuss Their Rights Starbucks removes cap on CEO’s use of company’s private jet, citing security concerns

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.