Canada Pension Plan Investment Board Acquires Shares of 984,345 Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board bought a new position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 984,345 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $100,590,000. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board owned approximately 0.09% of Starbucks at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Starbucks during the 2nd quarter worth about $8,504,509,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Starbucks during the fourth quarter worth $1,232,650,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Starbucks by 65.9% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,637,704,000 after buying an additional 7,725,547 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Starbucks in the second quarter valued at about $779,790,000. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its stake in Starbucks by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 84,727,405 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $7,135,228,000 after buying an additional 7,007,268 shares in the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Baird upgraded Starbucks to “Strong Buy.” Robert W. Baird raised its view on the stock, following an earlier Outperform rating and a $124 price target—roughly 15% above the recently cited share price. The upgrade supports the broader turnaround narrative under CEO Brian Niccol. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Fall menu and Pumpkin Spice Latte season are providing a seasonal sales catalyst. Starbucks launched its fall offerings, including the returning Pumpkin Spice Latte, while also promoting limited-time beverages and a Blueberry Matcha Daily Fiber Bar partnership. Early reports indicate refreshed products have supported customer traffic and weekend sales, reinforcing the “Back to Starbucks” strategy. Starbucks fall menu article
• Positive Sentiment: Restructuring is aimed at improving profitability. Starbucks is cutting more than 200 additional corporate jobs as part of a broader, approximately $2 billion turnaround effort. Cost reductions, improving comparable-store sales and expansion of operations in Nashville could strengthen margins if execution remains on track. Starbucks restructuring article
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation leaves limited room for disappointment. Starbucks recently traded around $108.49, versus a 52-week range of $77.99 to $110.51, with a reported forward fiscal 2026 EPS outlook of $2.55–$2.65. The strong year-to-date performance reflects rising confidence in the turnaround, but also increases sensitivity to execution setbacks.
• Negative Sentiment: Workers United is urging customers to boycott Starbucks. More than 12,000 unionized baristas are seeking a contract and reportedly demanding $17-per-hour wages. The campaign coincides with the Pumpkin Spice Latte launch, creating a risk of reputational damage, weaker traffic or higher labor costs if negotiations remain stalled. Starbucks union boycott article

Starbucks Price Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $108.49 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $123.68 billion, a PE ratio of 62.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.97. The company’s 50-day moving average is $104.82 and its 200-day moving average is $100.68. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $77.99 and a fifty-two week high of $110.51.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The coffee company reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.66 by $0.19. Starbucks had a net margin of 5.17% and a negative return on equity of 34.10%. The business had revenue of $9.32 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.50 EPS. Starbucks’s revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.64 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Starbucks’s payout ratio is currently 142.53%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SBUX shares. Morgan Stanley cut Starbucks from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, August 3rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $117.00 price objective on Starbucks and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, July 20th. Finally, Melius Research set a $110.00 price target on Starbucks in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have given a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $110.30.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total value of $236,251.71. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,135 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,963,558.65. This represents a 2.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock worth $681,663. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.