Aberdeen Group plc Lowers Stake in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Aberdeen Group plc lowered its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 1.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 959,195 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 10,580 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.08% of Starbucks worth $80,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Starbucks by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 113,438,902 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $9,596,931,000 after purchasing an additional 577,279 shares in the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 11.4% during the third 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 in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in Starbucks by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 77,720,137 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $6,575,430,000 after acquiring an additional 1,462,874 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Starbucks by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,513,332 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $4,353,647,000 after acquiring an additional 544,534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its position in Starbucks by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 14,691,772 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,243,104,000 after acquiring an additional 2,699,479 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: China JV closed with Boyu Capital — Starbucks finalized the joint venture intended to speed disciplined expansion in China and bring in a local partner to help scale stores and operations, which should support long‑term growth in a key market. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: New U.S. partner incentives announced — Starbucks outlined a package including weekly pay, broader tipping on mobile/card orders, and a performance-based bonus program (up to $1,200/year) aimed at improving service, retention and sales; benefits to revenue are possible but outcome is uncertain. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational intent vs. cost — Management frames the moves as part of its “Back to Starbucks” turnaround to fix service and sales trends; investors must balance potential revenue upside from better in-store execution against the program’s roughly $500M scale and execution risk. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term stock reaction muted or negative — Despite the announcements, the shares showed little upside and in some reports slipped, suggesting the market is focused on near-term margin pressure, recent EPS misses, and the need for proof the programs lift sales. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Execution and margin concerns — Analysts/commentary warn expanded tipping and bonus schemes could backfire or compress margins if service improvements don’t translate to sustained higher sales per store; ongoing union activity adds another execution variable. Article Title

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction of $242,800.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 59,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction of $159,373.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 86,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,411,077.60. The trade was a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,729 shares of company stock worth $460,974. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on SBUX. Dbs Bank raised Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut Starbucks from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $89.00 price target (up from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.07.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ SBUX opened at $90.37 on Friday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $75.50 and a 12-month high of $104.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $102.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 74.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $95.40 and a 200 day moving average of $88.96.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.62 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 EPS for the current year.

Starbucks 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.