Insider Selling: Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) EVP Sells $242,800.00 in Stock

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $101.47 on Thursday. Starbucks Corporation has a 52-week low of $75.50 and a 52-week high of $104.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $115.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 83.86, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.93. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $94.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $88.13.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The business had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. Starbucks’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company opening a new Nashville supply‑chain and corporate hub aimed at lowering distribution costs and improving product flow — a concrete execution step that could lift margins over time. Starbucks Nashville supply chain hub
• Positive Sentiment: Customer metrics improving: U.S. transactions and early signs of adoption for the revamped rewards program are supporting comps and revenue recovery expectations. Rewards program adoption lifts SBUX
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~14.8% in February, reducing one source of downside pressure and indicating fewer traders are betting against the name in the near term.
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks will webcast its 2026 Annual Meeting (virtual) on March 25 — routine governance event that increases transparency but is not expected to move the stock materially. Annual meeting webcast
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson and other firms adding coverage brings liquidity and attention; coverage itself is neutral unless accompanied by a clear rating/target change. New analyst coverage at DA Davidson
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research downgraded SBUX to Peer Perform from Outperform, flagging that Starbucks is early in a multi‑year turnaround with high execution risk — analyst skepticism can cap multiple expansion and weigh on near‑term sentiment. Wolfe Research downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brady Brewer sold shares in early March (1,641 shares on Mar 5 and 588 on Mar 9, ~ $218k total), reducing his stake modestly — insider selling can be read as a negative signal even when amounts are small. SEC Form 4 disclosure
• Negative Sentiment: PR/brand risk: commentary about sugar in seasonal drinks and competing‑focused pieces raise the prospect of reputational or regulatory headwinds and add to investor caution. Sugar criticism and brand risk

Institutional Trading of Starbucks

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Starbucks in the fourth quarter worth $1,232,650,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $7,229,968,000 after acquiring an additional 8,774,198 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 65.9% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,637,704,000 after acquiring an additional 7,725,547 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in Starbucks by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 84,727,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $7,135,228,000 after acquiring an additional 7,007,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its position 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 worth $553,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,596,014 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SBUX shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.22.

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.