Westpac Banking Corp Takes $774,000 Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Westpac Banking Corp bought a new position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm bought 7,578 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $774,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. TRB Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Starbucks in the second quarter worth $323,000. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the second quarter valued at about $811,000. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter worth about $1,149,000. Korea Investment CORP purchased a new position in shares of Starbucks in the second quarter worth about $64,564,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at about $7,686,000. 72.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total transaction of $236,251.71. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,558.65. This trade represents a 2.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 6,687 shares of company stock valued at $681,663 in the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Starbucks from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered Starbucks from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating on the stock. Finally, Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, August 3rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.30.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks’ coffee strategy is drawing renewed investor attention as management focuses on improving the customer experience, store performance and operational execution. Starbucks Coffee Strategy Draws Fresh Attention
• Positive Sentiment: The fall menu includes the return of a 23-year-old customer favorite along with nine new seasonal food and beverage items, providing a potential near-term traffic and sales catalyst. Starbucks Fall Menu 2026
• Positive Sentiment: The limited-time Unicorn Frappuccino reportedly produced Starbucks’ biggest sales weekend ever and lifted traffic 28.5% versus a typical Saturday, supporting the case that innovative promotions can attract customers. Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino Sales
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlights SBUX’s roughly 27% year-to-date advance, stronger traffic, recovering margins and raised guidance. Recent earnings also exceeded expectations, with quarterly EPS of $0.85 versus a $0.66 consensus and revenue of $9.32 billion. Starbucks Stock Gains 27 Percent Year to Date
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks has received a consensus analyst rating of “Hold,” suggesting that improving fundamentals are currently balanced against the stock’s already strong rally and execution risks. Starbucks Consensus Hold Rating
• Negative Sentiment: At a premium valuation, SBUX could experience greater volatility if consumer spending weakens or investors reduce expectations for the turnaround. Higher input costs and broader consumer uncertainty remain key risks. High-Flying Stocks With Warning Signs
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks plans to eliminate more than 200 positions at its Seattle headquarters and shift some roles to Nashville. The restructuring may improve efficiency, but the layoffs could signal ongoing cost and organizational pressure. Starbucks Seattle Headquarters Layoffs

Starbucks Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $107.49 on Tuesday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $77.99 and a 12-month high of $110.51. The company has a market cap of $122.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.78, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $104.57 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $100.53.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $9.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. Starbucks’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.50 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. Analysts predict that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Starbucks Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is 142.53%.

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.