Stifel Nicolaus Issues Positive Forecast for Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Stock Price

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) had its price target boosted by Stifel Nicolaus from $105.00 to $115.00 in a research note published on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the coffee company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Bank of America set a $114.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 target price (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Starbucks from an “underperform” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the company from $86.00 to $92.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Sixteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.93.

Starbucks Stock Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $97.80 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $95.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $111.42 billion, a PE ratio of 80.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.95. Starbucks has a fifty-two week low of $75.50 and a fifty-two week high of $104.82.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). The company 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 prior year, the company posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Starbucks will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 204.96%.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. 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 owned 83,788 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,378,800. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The shares were 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 directly owned 59,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,789,226.08. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 6,958 shares of company stock valued at $667,464 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. NWF Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,349 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $366,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. River Street Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 409 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 3,907 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keurig Dr Pepper and Nestlé are expanding distribution of Starbucks-branded K-Cup pods across the U.S. and Canada, which should broaden retail reach and add steady package‑goods revenue. Keurig, Nestlé extend Starbucks K-Cup deal
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks will invest $100M to open a Southeast corporate/support office in Nashville, expected to create ~2,000 jobs over five years — a long‑term operational investment that supports U.S. growth and regional support capabilities. Starbucks to invest $100 million in Nashville
• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other commentators are projecting a possible North American comparable‑sales beat and Q2 upside driven by improving U.S. trends, which could support a stronger reported quarter. Starbucks Likely to Deliver North American Comparable Sales Beat, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its price target to $115 and maintains a Buy, signaling some analyst conviction about upside from current levels. Stifel raises SBUX price target
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan — a small (0.7%) reduction in his position and disclosed to the SEC; such planned sales are typically benign. SEC Form 4 disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains around a “moderate buy,” indicating mixed but generally constructive expectations ahead of earnings. Analyst consensus: Moderate Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks is cutting tech roles as the new CTO reorganizes the technology team — the move could mean near‑term charges and execution risk as systems and initiatives are reshaped. Starbucks cuts tech jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have been pressured as investors await April 28 Q2 results; short‑term sentiment is cautious and volatility may rise around the print. Stock dips ahead of Q2 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Recent reported quarter missed EPS expectations and Starbucks still shows a high trailing valuation (PE) and weak return on equity metrics, which keep investor expectations elevated and the stock sensitive to execution misses.

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.