Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Research Coverage Started at Wolfe Research

Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued a peer perform rating on the coffee company’s stock.

SBUX has been the topic of a number of other reports. New Street Research set a $90.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.22.

Starbucks Price Performance

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $101.47 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $115.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 83.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.93. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $94.65 and a two-hundred day moving average of $88.13. Starbucks has a 1-year low of $75.50 and a 1-year high of $104.82.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly 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%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Starbucks will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total value of $58,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,601,700. The trade was a 0.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 4,729 shares of company stock valued at $460,974 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starbucks

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Transce3nd LLC grew its position in shares of 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. Collier Financial acquired a new stake in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Phillip James Consulting Co. acquired a new position in Starbucks in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

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

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.