Arlington Financial Advisors LLC Trims Stock Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Arlington Financial Advisors LLC reduced its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 20.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,206 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 7,989 shares during the period. Arlington Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $2,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SBUX. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter worth about $1,246,316,000. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 85,460,350 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $7,229,968,000 after acquiring an additional 8,774,198 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Starbucks by 146.6% during the 2nd quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,049,192 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $553,201,000 after acquiring an additional 3,596,014 shares during the period. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in Starbucks by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,243,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,699,479 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its stake in Starbucks by 80.6% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,105,164 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $433,923,000 after acquiring an additional 2,277,792 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks Trading Down 2.0%

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $91.98 on Wednesday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $75.50 and a 12-month high of $104.82. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $96.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $88.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 76.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.93.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued 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 company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. The firm’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 predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Dbs Bank upgraded Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut Starbucks from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Starbucks has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $103.81.

Starbucks News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: DBS upgraded Starbucks, which can support near-term buying interest from momentum and growth-focused investors. Starbucks Upgraded at Dbs Bank
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage arguing Starbucks is regaining its “third‑place” hospitality edge highlights a path to same-store sales and margin recovery if execution continues. “The Power of Hospitality”: Starbucks Stock Gains
• Positive Sentiment: Analyses arguing SBUX may be an undervalued dividend/long‑term play under new leadership (ex‑Chipotle CEO hire) can attract income and value buyers. Is Starbucks Stock an Undervalued Dividend Stock to Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly recaps note Starbucks posted a revenue beat but missed EPS expectations — mixed fundamentals that explain volatile trading as investors weigh top‑line strength vs. margin pressure. Q4 Earnings Highlights: Starbucks Vs The Rest
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple short‑interest updates show reported spikes but contain zero/NaN figures — the data appears erroneous; unclear shorting pressure based on the current reports. (No external link)
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Brian Niccol’s comment that the chain “ran like a manufacturing facility” was framed as an admission of past execution problems — this highlights operational issues that could press margins while turnaround work continues. Starbucks CEO admits the chain ‘ran like a manufacturing facility’
• Negative Sentiment: Critical pieces and analyst commentary questioning profitability/execution (“Improving, but where are the bucks?”) amplify investor caution about margin recovery. Starbucks: Improving, But Where Are The Bucks?
• Negative Sentiment: Labor and activist investor noise continues — a proxy challenge and resumed bargaining with Workers United raise execution and cost risks that investors dislike. Starbucks challenged by labor-friendly activist investors

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 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 value of $159,373.92. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,605 shares in the company, valued at $8,411,077.60. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares in the company, valued at $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,729 shares of company stock worth $460,974. Company insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.