William Blair Has Positive View of Starbucks FY2026 Earnings

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) – Stock analysts at William Blair upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Starbucks in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, August 19th. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now forecasts that the coffee company will post earnings per share of $2.37 for the year, up from their prior estimate of $2.36. The consensus estimate for Starbucks’ current full-year earnings is $2.99 per share.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on SBUX. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $95.00 target price (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, June 12th. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective (up previously from $95.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, CICC Research assumed coverage on Starbucks in a report on Monday, June 30th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $100.00 price target for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.40.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of SBUX opened at $88.56 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $100.67 billion, a PE ratio of 38.17, a PEG ratio of 5.31 and a beta of 1.02. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $92.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $93.70. Starbucks has a 52 week low of $75.50 and a 52 week high of $117.46.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.64 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $9.46 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.29 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 7.18% and a negative return on equity of 36.23%. Starbucks’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.93 EPS.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SBUX. Game Plan Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. bought a new stake in Starbucks during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Starbucks in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC grew its holdings in Starbucks by 270.3% in the 2nd quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 274 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chelsea Counsel Co. acquired a new position in shares of Starbucks during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

About Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of coffee worldwide. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Channel Development. Its stores offer coffee and tea beverages, roasted whole beans and ground coffees, single serve products, and ready-to-drink beverages; and various food products, such as pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch items.