Welch & Forbes LLC Decreases Stake in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Welch & Forbes LLC trimmed its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 8.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 98,122 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 8,720 shares during the quarter. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $8,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SBUX. Cooper Haims Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Starbucks by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cooper Haims Advisors LLC now owns 3,749 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $344,000 after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Diligent Investors LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 1.9% during the second quarter. Diligent Investors LLC now owns 6,132 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $562,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated increased its holdings in Starbucks by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated now owns 5,288 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $447,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR lifted its stake in Starbucks by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR now owns 11,437 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $968,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 6.6% during the 2nd quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,049 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $188,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investor Day and early-operational wins — management showcased the “Back to Starbucks” turnaround (new store designs, AI initiatives, beverage innovation) and reported revenue and comp-sales gains, evidence that traffic and transactions are improving. Starbucks Gets a Jolt After Earnings, But Will the Buzz Last?
• Positive Sentiment: Rewards relaunch to drive frequency — Starbucks announced a three-tiered Rewards program (Green, Gold, Reserve) to encourage repeat visits and personalization, which could lift transactions if adoption matches management’s plan. Starbucks Unveils Reimagined Loyalty Program to Deliver More Meaningful Value, Personalization and Engagement for Members
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO tone and public comments — Brian Niccol signaled willingness to negotiate with union organizers and discussed security and stock‑price questions in media appearances; these comments reduce headline uncertainty but leave execution and labor outcomes unresolved. Starbucks CEO says he is willing to negotiate with unionizers
• Neutral Sentiment: Growth vs. guidance — management updated long‑term targets (FY2028 EPS range) and reiterated growth levers; the guidance shows progress but contains mixed signals versus consensus, so investors are awaiting concrete margin improvements and forward execution. Starbucks CEO on Growth Plans, Pricing and China Market
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed earnings: EPS miss and margin pressure — Starbucks beat on revenue but missed EPS, and management warned margins remain pressured (higher input/labor costs). That combination helped pull back earlier post‑earnings gains and weighs on near‑term stock performance. Why Starbucks (SBUX) Shares Are Down After A Mixed Earnings Report
• Negative Sentiment: Governance/PR headwinds — a shareholder‑rights law firm announced an investigation into officers/directors, and the company removed a cap on the CEO’s private jet use citing security, both creating short‑term reputational and governance risk for the stock. Halper Sadeh LLC Encourages Starbucks Corporation Shareholders To Contact The Firm To Discuss Their Rights Starbucks removes cap on CEO’s use of company’s private jet, citing security concerns

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Starbucks news, Director Jorgen Vig Knudstorp acquired 11,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $85.00 per share, for a total transaction of $994,500.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 53,096 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,513,160. This trade represents a 28.26% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of SBUX opened at $91.95 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $104.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 75.99, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.97. Starbucks Corporation has a 1-year low of $75.50 and a 1-year high of $117.46. The company has a 50-day moving average of $88.09 and a 200 day moving average of $87.16.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (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 firm had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.69 EPS. Starbucks’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, equities analysts anticipate that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Friday, February 13th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 13th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 204.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday. Guggenheim reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.74.

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.