Cullen Investment Group LTD. Lowers Stake in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Cullen Investment Group LTD. cut its holdings in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 8.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 70,457 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 6,873 shares during the quarter. Cullen Investment Group LTD.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $6,262,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Starbucks by 86.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 176,722 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $16,126,000 after acquiring an additional 81,952 shares during the period. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its position in Starbucks by 47.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 9,061.1% in the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 156,930 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $14,379,000 after purchasing an additional 155,217 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 30,149 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,763,000 after purchasing an additional 1,871 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Country Trust Bank increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 65.4% in the second quarter. Country Trust Bank now owns 1,029 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares during the period. 72.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SBUX has been the subject of several recent research reports. 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. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Starbucks from $86.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Starbucks from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Fifteen equities 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.81.

Starbucks Stock Up 0.8%

Starbucks stock opened at $92.70 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $96.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.69. Starbucks Corporation has a 52 week low of $75.50 and a 52 week high of $104.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $105.61 billion, a PE ratio of 76.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.93.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its 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). 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 business’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: CEO Brian Niccol says Starbucks is “getting its groove back” after a year of turnaround work; the company expects to open more than 1,000 new for‑here coffeehouses this fiscal year as it ramps toward 5,000 U.S. locations — a clear growth signal for revenue recovery. Starbucks Has Its Shine Back, CEO Brian Niccol Says
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is targeting $2 billion of cost savings over two years to boost efficiency and support margin recovery while it continues to invest in stores — a direct catalyst for future margin expansion if delivery meets targets. Can Starbucks’ $2B Cost-Savings Plan Reignite Margin Expansion?
• Positive Sentiment: Operational tweaks to improve throughput (eg. airport line reductions and store efficiency efforts) are being implemented — these could improve ticket counts and customer experience if scaled successfully. Efficiency Not Out at Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) as it Looks to Shorten Airport Lines
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 review shows mixed results: revenue growth but an EPS miss and ongoing heavy investment — investors will watch whether guidance and the cost program close the gap. Q4 Earnings Highlights: Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Vs The Rest Of The Traditional Fast Food Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Local expansion/real‑estate moves (example: a large lease in Nashville) signal continued growth ambition but carry usual capex/lease risks. Opinion | Starbucks to Nashville?
• Negative Sentiment: Governance shakeup — the company dissolved its labor relations committee and activists are pushing against two director re‑elections as union contract talks resume; investors are pricing in potential wage/cost pressures and governance risk. Starbucks Labor Governance Shakeup Puts Investor Focus On Costs And Risks
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage warns the recent stock rally may be premature as operational issues appear deeper‑rooted, raising questions about execution and how quickly margins can rebound. Starbucks’ US$100 million CEO can’t repeat Chipotle stock magic
• Neutral Sentiment: Short‑interest reports for March show anomalous/zero values across feeds (likely data errors) — not informative for current positioning. (Multiple aggregated short‑interest notices.)

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the company’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 value of $159,373.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,411,077.60. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 4.03% 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 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.