Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Boosts Stake in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,902 shares of the coffee company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,226 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $5,912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SBUX. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 0.7% in the third quarter. WCG Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 33,122 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,802,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Starbucks by 32.0% during the third quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 4,066 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $344,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Regal Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 5.4% during the third quarter. Regal Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,682 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $565,000 after buying an additional 345 shares during the period. Broyhill Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 5.2% in the third quarter. Broyhill Asset Management LLC now owns 3,835 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $324,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the third quarter worth $683,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Starbucks Trading Down 1.0%

SBUX opened at $99.15 on Friday. Starbucks Corporation has a twelve month low of $75.50 and a twelve month high of $104.82. The firm has a market cap of $112.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 81.94, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $95.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.30.

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 firm 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%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.150-2.400 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Turnaround momentum: analysts and some prominent investors are calling Starbucks a recovery story after recent operational changes and a more generous rewards program that appears to be boosting demand. Josh Brown names SBUX a top stock
• Positive Sentiment: Customer loyalty actions: Starbucks revamped its rewards program to drive frequency and AUV recovery — a potential tailwind for same‑store sales if sustained. Rewards program update
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate and governance items: the company will webcast its March 25 annual meeting (forum for investor questions), and the CEO made small disclosed stock sales (minor ownership reduction). These are informational but not immediate operational catalysts. Annual meeting webcast SEC Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Proxy‑advisor warnings: two proxy advisory firms flagged that Starbucks may be under‑estimating the financial and reputational risks from persistent labor disputes — a governance red flag that can pressure the stock and complicate investor support. Reuters: proxy firms warn Starbucks Seeking Alpha: proxy firms warn
• Negative Sentiment: Union restarts and contract push: Starbucks Workers United submitted a detailed contract proposal seeking a $17 minimum start wage and 4% annual raises and is seeking to reopen bargaining — this raises the prospect of higher labor costs and renewed store‑level disruption. Yahoo Finance: union contract proposal CNBC: details of baristas’ asks
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction and analyst caution: coverage notes the union trying to restart talks and some firms moving to more cautious stances — near‑term investor anxiety over labor negotiations is weighing on the stock. TipRanks: union talks pressure stock WSJ: union seeks to reopen negotiations
• Negative Sentiment: PR/governance noise: founder Howard Schultz’s relocation and related publicity about state tax policy add incremental governance/PR distraction during sensitive labor negotiations. Financial Post: Schultz relocation coverage

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SBUX has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays set a $116.00 target price on shares of Starbucks and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, January 29th. DA Davidson began coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $97.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed 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. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $104.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value 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. This represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total value of $242,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 59,609 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,789,226.08. This trade represents a 4.03% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,729 shares of company stock worth $460,974. Insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.