8,522 Shares in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX Acquired by Principle Wealth Partners LLC

Principle Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,522 shares of the coffee company’s stock, valued at approximately $871,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 114,410,675 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $9,634,523,000 after buying an additional 971,773 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Starbucks by 9.0% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in Starbucks by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 47,869,056 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $4,031,053,000 after buying an additional 327,161 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Starbucks by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 26,373,084 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $2,212,153,000 after acquiring an additional 225,168 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Starbucks by 65.9% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 19,447,854 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,637,704,000 after acquiring an additional 7,725,547 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is eliminating more than 200 corporate positions as part of a broader restructuring and approximately $2 billion cost-reduction effort. Lower overhead could support profitability if the company maintains service levels and directs more resources toward its stores. The reductions do not involve cafe closures. Starbucks trims corporate ranks as coffeehouse investments deliver
• Positive Sentiment: Recent market commentary highlights Starbucks’ roughly 25% 2026 gain and suggests investors are rewarding its operational reset and investments in the cafe experience. The rally follows the company’s latest quarterly earnings beat, with adjusted EPS of $0.85 versus a $0.66 consensus estimate and revenue above expectations.
• Neutral Sentiment: The restructuring is relocating some corporate operations to a new, approximately $100 million Nashville office. Around 120 Seattle employees reportedly declined the move, while another 104 roles in store design and construction are being eliminated. Management characterizes the actions as part of the restructuring winding down, but the savings and impact on execution remain to be demonstrated. Starbucks cuts another 224 Seattle jobs
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks continues to face challenges in China, where domestic competitors, shifting consumer preferences and geopolitical tensions are eroding the position of major U.S. brands. China weakness could limit international growth and pressure comparable sales. Why some of America’s biggest brands are losing ground in China
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s strong performance has also produced a demanding valuation, with the supplied data showing a P/E ratio above 60. Investors may require sustained earnings growth from the turnaround to justify the premium, leaving SBUX vulnerable to disappointment.

Starbucks Price Performance

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $107.08 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $122.07 billion, a PE ratio of 61.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $104.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $100.36. Starbucks Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $77.99 and a fifty-two week high of $110.51.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors 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 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

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Compass Point began coverage on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, August 3rd. They set a “buy” rating for the company. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Scotiabank cut Starbucks from a “market perform” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Starbucks from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wedbush assumed coverage on Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They issued an “outperform” rating on the stock. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $110.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 75,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,963,558.65. This represents a 2.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,687 shares of company stock valued at $681,663. Corporate 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.