Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Given Neutral Rating at DA Davidson

DA Davidson restated their neutral rating on shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $97.00 target price on the coffee company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on SBUX. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Starbucks from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Piper Sandler reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $104.93.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.8%

SBUX stock opened at $99.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $113.38 billion, a PE ratio of 82.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.95. Starbucks has a 12 month low of $75.50 and a 12 month high of $104.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $95.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $90.17.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. Starbucks’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Starbucks will post 2.31 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

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 paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Starbucks’s payout ratio is 204.96%.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 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 $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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,958 shares of company stock valued at $667,464. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Starbucks

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. NWF Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. NWF Advisory Services Inc. now owns 4,349 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $366,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 2.7% during the 4th 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 last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% during the 4th 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 last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its stake in Starbucks by 38.2% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. increased its stake in Starbucks by 3.0% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

More Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keurig Dr Pepper and Nestlé will expand distribution of Starbucks-branded K-Cup pods across the U.S. and Canada, which should boost packaged‑goods revenue and broaden retail reach. 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 commitment that supports U.S. growth capacity. Starbucks to invest $100 million in Nashville
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts (including UBS commentary) are penciling in improving North American comparable‑sales and the potential for a Q2 upside, supporting expectations for a stronger reported quarter. Starbucks Likely to Deliver North American Comparable Sales Beat, UBS Says
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel raised its SBUX price target to $115 and kept a Buy rating, signaling some analyst conviction on upside from current levels. Stifel raises SBUX price target
• Positive Sentiment: Company affirmed its quarterly dividend and rolled out new protein-focused MUSH overnight oats in most stores — incremental product and yield supports that can help sentiment. Assessing Starbucks valuation as turnaround momentum draws attention
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan; the trade is small (0.7% reduction) and typically viewed as routine. SEC Form 4 disclosure
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage is mixed but leans constructive (consensus “Moderate Buy”); expectations remain split heading into earnings. Analyst consensus: Moderate Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks is cutting tech roles as the new CTO reshapes the organization — this could create near‑term charges and execution risk for digital initiatives. Starbucks cuts tech jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Relocation friction: reports of employee resistance to moving from Seattle to the new Nashville hub have spurred culture and retention concerns that could weigh on near‑term operations. Lefty Starbucks office workers refuse to move from Seattle
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have been volatile and dipped as investors await the April 28 earnings print; SBUX remains sensitive given a recent EPS miss and relatively high valuation, so the quarter is a key catalyst. Stock dips ahead of Q2 earnings

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.