Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Upgraded to “Strong Sell” at BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) to a strong sell rating in a research note published on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

SBUX has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Starbucks from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and set a $105.00 target price for the company. in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and issued a $89.00 price objective (up from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 30th. DA Davidson assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $97.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Starbucks from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $103.07.

Starbucks Price Performance

NASDAQ:SBUX opened at $89.59 on Monday. Starbucks has a 1 year low of $75.50 and a 1 year high of $104.82. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $95.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $88.89. The company has a market cap of $102.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 74.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.93.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced 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). Starbucks had a net margin of 3.63% and a negative return on equity of 28.66%. The company had revenue of $9.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.62 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. Starbucks’s revenue for the quarter 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, analysts expect that Starbucks will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 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 $159,373.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 86,605 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,411,077.60. This trade represents a 1.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of Starbucks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.12, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 4,729 shares of company stock valued at $460,974 in the last three months. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Starbucks

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Transce3nd LLC grew its position in Starbucks by 270.3% in the second quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 274 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Collier Financial bought a new position in Starbucks in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Phillip James Consulting Co. bought a new stake in Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Key Starbucks News

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Investors re‑elected Starbucks’ full board, rejecting a labor‑backed challenge — a win for management continuity and de‑risking near‑term governance uncertainty. Starbucks investors reelect full board, rejecting labor-backed challenge
• Positive Sentiment: CEO and management say the turnaround is showing results in store experience and operational metrics, reinforcing the case that recent initiatives are working. Starbucks Says The Turnaround Is Showing Up
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders approved governance changes (including simpler majority voting), which reduces shareholder‑action uncertainty and can speed strategic execution. Starbucks Shareholders Approve Governance Changes at 2026 Meeting
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis warns the turnaround looks real but much of the improvement may already be reflected in the stock, suggesting limited near‑term upside absent stronger execution or earnings beats. Starbucks (SBUX) Turnaround Looks Real, but the Easy Money May Be Gone
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro pressure — notably higher gasoline prices — could reduce drive‑thru visits industry‑wide and blunt traffic growth for locations reliant on drive‑thru channels. High Gas Prices May Prompt Consumers to Reduce Drive-Thru Visits, Research Shows
• Negative Sentiment: Citizens JMP initiated coverage with a “market underperform” rating and an $84 price target, signaling near‑term downside risk versus current levels. Citizens Jmp sets mkt underperform on SBUX

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.