Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Shares Sold by Welch & Forbes LLC

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 98,122 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 8,720 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $8,301,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,246,316,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Starbucks by 146.6% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,049,192 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $553,201,000 after buying an additional 3,596,014 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 11.2% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 12,757,954 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,169,011,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286,451 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 68.0% during the 2nd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 3,027,814 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $277,439,000 after acquiring an additional 1,225,447 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,578,977 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $511,202,000 after acquiring an additional 1,026,056 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Starbucks news, Director Jorgen Vig Knudstorp acquired 11,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $85.00 per share, for a total transaction of $994,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 53,096 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,513,160. This trade represents a 28.26% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

More Starbucks News

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

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $91.95 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $104.56 billion, a PE ratio of 75.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $88.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.16. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $75.50 and a 12 month high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.92 billion for 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 revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.69 EPS. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is 204.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on SBUX shares. Barclays set a $116.00 price objective on Starbucks and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday. Citigroup raised shares of Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Starbucks from $106.00 to $114.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.74.

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.