Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. Takes Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Murphy Middleton Hinkle & Parker Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 13,205 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,112,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,246,316,000. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 11.4% during 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 buying an additional 8,774,198 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 146.6% in the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,049,192 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $553,201,000 after buying an additional 3,596,014 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 22.5% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,243,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,699,479 shares during the period. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 80.6% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,105,164 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $433,923,000 after acquiring an additional 2,277,792 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SBUX has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim reissued 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. Wolfe Research started coverage on Starbucks in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Dbs Bank upgraded shares of Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.81.

Starbucks Stock Performance

NASDAQ SBUX opened at $93.83 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $96.09 and its 200 day moving average is $88.62. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $75.50 and a fifty-two week high of $104.82. The company has a market capitalization of $106.90 billion, a PE ratio of 77.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.93.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly 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). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.62 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MarketWatch and other outlets note SBUX outperformed peers on a strong trading day, reflecting favorable market sentiment and momentum into the trading session. Starbucks Corp. stock outperforms competitors on strong trading day
• Positive Sentiment: DBS Bank upgraded SBUX, which likely contributed to buying interest; analyst upgrades often lift investor confidence and share demand. Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Upgraded at Dbs Bank
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage highlighting a renewed focus on hospitality — regaining the “third place” experience — supports the narrative that management (CEO Brian Niccol) is shifting away from a manufacturing mindset toward customer experience, which investors view as a long-term revenue driver. Starbucks CEO admits the chain ‘ran like a manufacturing facility’
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 earnings were mixed: revenue topped estimates while EPS missed and FY26 EPS was guided to $2.15–$2.40. The beat on sales supports growth hopes, but the EPS miss and still-elevated valuation (high P/E) temper enthusiasm. Q4 Earnings Highlights: Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Vs The Rest Of The Traditional Fast Food Stocks
• Negative Sentiment: Labor risk persists: a proxy battle and pressure from labor-friendly investors (Workers United) could lead to renewed bargaining and potential operational or cost impacts, creating an overhang for some investors. Starbucks challenged by labor-friendly activist investors

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,017 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,601,700. This represents a 0.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 4,729 shares of company stock valued at $460,974 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Starbucks 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.