Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. Raises Holdings in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Crawford Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 10.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 192,121 shares of the coffee company’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,953 shares during the period. Crawford Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $16,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Circle Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Circle Wealth Management LLC now owns 297,757 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $25,190,000 after purchasing an additional 4,042 shares during the period. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. acquired a new position in Starbucks during the third quarter worth approximately $302,000. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. increased its position in Starbucks by 5.3% during the third quarter. Ausdal Financial Partners Inc. now owns 41,385 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $3,501,000 after buying an additional 2,085 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its stake in Starbucks by 37.7% in the third quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 114,942 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $9,715,000 after buying an additional 31,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 11.3% in the third quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 181,133 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $15,324,000 after acquiring an additional 18,393 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $159,373.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares in the company, valued at $8,411,077.60. This trade represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 4,729 shares of company stock valued at $460,974 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Mizuho lifted their price objective 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, Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $95.00 target price (up from $90.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $104.22.

Key Stories Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Turnaround momentum: analysts and some prominent investors are calling Starbucks a recovery story after recent operational changes and a more generous rewards program that appears to be boosting demand. Josh Brown names SBUX a top stock
• Positive Sentiment: Customer loyalty actions: Starbucks revamped its rewards program to drive frequency and AUV recovery — a potential tailwind for same‑store sales if sustained. Rewards program update
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate and governance items: the company will webcast its March 25 annual meeting (forum for investor questions), and the CEO made small disclosed stock sales (minor ownership reduction). These are informational but not immediate operational catalysts. Annual meeting webcast SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy‑advisor warnings: two proxy advisory firms flagged that Starbucks may be under‑estimating the financial and reputational risks from persistent labor disputes — a governance red flag that can pressure the stock and complicate investor support. Reuters: proxy firms warn Starbucks Seeking Alpha: proxy firms warn
• Negative Sentiment: Union restarts and contract push: Starbucks Workers United submitted a detailed contract proposal seeking a $17 minimum start wage and 4% annual raises and is seeking to reopen bargaining — this raises the prospect of higher labor costs and renewed store‑level disruption. Yahoo Finance: union contract proposal CNBC: details of baristas’ asks
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and analyst caution: coverage notes the union trying to restart talks and some firms moving to more cautious stances — near‑term investor anxiety over labor negotiations is weighing on the stock. TipRanks: union talks pressure stock WSJ: union seeks to reopen negotiations
• Negative Sentiment: PR/governance noise: founder Howard Schultz’s relocation and related publicity about state tax policy add incremental governance/PR distraction during sensitive labor negotiations. Financial Post: Schultz relocation coverage

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $99.15 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $95.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $88.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $112.96 billion, a PE ratio of 81.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.93. Starbucks Corporation has a 1-year low of $75.50 and a 1-year high of $104.82.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. Starbucks’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.