Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Citizens Jmp

Citizens Jmp started coverage on shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) in a research report report published on Monday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm issued a mkt underperform rating and a $84.00 price target on the coffee company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on SBUX. Wolfe Research began coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $89.00 price target (up from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Starbucks from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Bank of America set a $114.00 target price on Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.07.

Starbucks Price Performance

SBUX stock opened at $86.72 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 71.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.93. Starbucks has a 52-week low of $75.50 and a 52-week high of $104.82. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.83.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.62 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.69 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was 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 directly owned 86,017 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,601,700. The trade was a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,729 shares of company stock valued at $460,974. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Starbucks

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osbon Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at $67,000. World Investment Advisors boosted its holdings in Starbucks by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 86,981 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $7,325,000 after purchasing an additional 5,635 shares in the last quarter. Meadowbrook Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $368,000. Green Ridge Wealth Planning LLC acquired a new position in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $259,000. Finally, Audent Global Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 89.6% during the fourth quarter. Audent Global Asset Management LLC now owns 9,330 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 4,408 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors re-elected Starbucks’ full board and rejected a labor-backed slate, reducing near-term governance uncertainty and preserving management’s strategic plan. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: CEO stated the company’s turnaround is starting to show up in the store experience, signaling improving execution on traffic, service and customer experience that could support revenue and margins if sustained. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Operational changes — new ordering kiosks, scheduled app orders, a restructured licensed-store model and the GROW program — aim to reduce service bottlenecks and improve throughput in high-traffic formats, which can help margins and customer satisfaction over time. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks listed six-figure corporate roles for a new Nashville office as it builds a Southeastern hub — a sign of expansion and talent investment but also an added cost center in the near term. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: SeekAlpha/Tipranks summaries and highlights from the annual meeting reiterate governance votes and strategy updates — useful context for shareholders but largely confirmatory rather than market-moving. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer note: Dutch Bros (BROS) has slid despite growth, reflecting investor sensitivity to expansion costs and margins in the specialty coffee segment — a sector datapoint but not a direct Starbucks-specific catalyst. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Citizens Jmp started coverage with a “market underperform” rating and an $84 price target, signaling at least one analyst sees limited upside and adding near-term selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Rising gasoline prices could reduce drive-thru visits industrywide, posing a traffic risk for stores reliant on convenience and drive-thru sales if elevated fuel costs persist. Read More.

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.