Madison Asset Management LLC Cuts Stake in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Madison Asset Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 99.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,381 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 364,882 shares during the period. Madison Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 86.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 176,722 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $16,126,000 after purchasing an additional 81,952 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. grew its holdings in Starbucks by 47.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 1,164 shares in the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $288,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in Starbucks by 92.8% in the 2nd quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,225 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Starbucks by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 112,710 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $10,328,000 after acquiring an additional 7,978 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the subject of a number of research reports. Guggenheim reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $97.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wedbush assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. BTIG Research cut shares of Starbucks from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $117.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $109.42.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Starbucks news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,053,565. This represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, July 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.00, for a total value of $231,816.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 77,364 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,045,856. The trade was a 2.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 8,687 shares of company stock valued at $889,033 over the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

More Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary say Starbucks’ turnaround under Brian Niccol is showing signs of progress, with shares near a 52-week high even after a tough profit comparison last year. Investors seem focused on whether the company can keep improving customer traffic and operating performance ahead of the next major test on July 29. Brian Niccol’s Starbucks Turnaround Is Quietly Working — Even With Profit Cut in Half. The July 29 Test Comes Next.
• Positive Sentiment: Another report said Starbucks raised its fiscal 2026 outlook, citing traffic gains, margin recovery, and cost savings. That supports the view that the company’s operational turnaround is gaining traction and could improve earnings expectations. Can Starbucks Turn Traffic Gains Into Sustainable Earnings Growth?
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks was also highlighted as a trending stock, reflecting elevated investor interest rather than a new fundamental catalyst. Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) Is a Trending Stock: Facts to Know Before Betting on It
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage on Starbucks’ lobbying spending and its five-year stock performance did not appear to introduce a new business catalyst, but it did keep the company in the news as investors weigh whether the turnaround can close the long-term performance gap. Guess How Much Starbucks Spends on Lobbying. Starbucks Stock (NASDAQ:SBUX) Gains Starbucks’ Stock Down 17% In Five Years
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks noted Starbucks may not have the right setup for an earnings beat in its upcoming report, which could temper enthusiasm if results disappoint expectations. Starbucks (SBUX) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?

Starbucks Trading Down 0.4%

Starbucks stock opened at $103.98 on Thursday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $77.99 and a 12-month high of $109.23. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $102.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $98.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $118.51 billion, a PE ratio of 78.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.98.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. Starbucks had a net margin of 3.89% and a negative return on equity of 29.24%. The company had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is currently 187.88%.

Starbucks Company 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.