Griffin Asset Management Inc. Increases Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Griffin Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 4.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 125,174 shares of the coffee company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,471 shares during the period. Starbucks accounts for 1.3% of Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Griffin Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $11,214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NWF Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,349 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC raised its stake in Starbucks by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its stake in Starbucks by 38.2% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 409 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 3,907 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SBUX shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $115.00 target price (up from $110.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wedbush assumed coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Scotiabank downgraded shares of Starbucks from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $108.92.

Starbucks Trading Up 2.4%

Shares of SBUX opened at $106.41 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $121.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 80.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.98. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $102.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $97.01. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $77.99 and a 12 month high of $108.88.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.The company’s revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.4 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Starbucks’s payout ratio is 187.88%.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is reportedly developing in-house AI tools that could replace third-party software, potentially lowering its software and operating expenses and improving margins. Starbucks Stock Rises Amid In-House Software Push
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also encouraged by the idea that Starbucks can use AI to reduce reliance on outside vendors, supporting a broader cost-reduction initiative and possible earnings leverage over time. Starbucks Targets $400 Million Software Spend With AI Shift
• Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary has also kept focus on Starbucks’ improving traffic, loyalty growth, and turnaround efforts, which has helped sustain bullish sentiment near the stock’s recent highs. Starbucks Near Its 52-Week High: Can the Stock Sustain the Rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Brady Brewer sold shares under a pre-arranged 10b5-1 plan. The sale is not necessarily a negative signal, but investors may still note the insider transaction. SEC Form 4 filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks remains near its 52-week high after a strong run, which can attract momentum buyers but also raises valuation concerns for some investors. Starbucks Near Its 52-Week High: Can the Stock Sustain the Rally?

Insider Activity

In other Starbucks news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,053,565. This represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total transaction of $231,816.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 77,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,045,856. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 9,275 shares of company stock worth $947,833 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.