DA Davidson Reiterates “Neutral” Rating for Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX)‘s stock had its “neutral” rating reiterated by equities researchers at DA Davidson in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $97.00 target price on the coffee company’s stock. DA Davidson’s price target suggests a potential downside of 2.20% from the company’s current price.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on SBUX. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Barclays set a $116.00 price objective on Starbucks and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Bank of America set a $114.00 price objective on Starbucks in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $100.00) on shares of Starbucks in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 price objective on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Sixteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Starbucks currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.93.

Starbucks Price Performance

NASDAQ SBUX traded up $1.38 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $99.18. 3,160,529 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,741,895. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $113.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 81.84, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.95. Starbucks has a fifty-two week low of $75.50 and a fifty-two week high of $104.82.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by ($0.03). Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 28.66% and a net margin of 3.63%.The business had revenue of $9.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.62 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.69 EPS. Starbucks’s quarterly revenue 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 forecast that Starbucks will post 2.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Starbucks

In other Starbucks news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 588 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.00, for a total transaction of $58,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 83,788 shares in the company, valued at $8,378,800. This represents a 0.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 5th. The stock was 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 $5,789,226.08. The trade was a 4.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 6,958 shares of company stock valued at $667,464. 0.03% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Starbucks

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Collier Financial bought a new stake in Starbucks during the third quarter worth $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Phillip James Consulting Co. bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in shares of Starbucks in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Starbucks News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Keurig Dr Pepper and Nestlé will expand distribution of Starbucks-branded K-Cup pods in the U.S. and Canada, boosting packaged‑goods revenue and retail reach. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: UBS and other analysts expect North American comparable‑sales to outpace estimates for Q2, which supports the possibility of an earnings upside. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks plans a $100M investment to open a Southeast corporate/support office in Nashville (up to ~2,000 jobs), a multi‑year operational commitment to U.S. growth. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The company affirmed its quarterly dividend and is rolling out a new protein overnight‑oats product (MUSH), signaling stable capital return and product innovation that can help traffic and ticket. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Stifel raised its price target to $115 and several firms rate SBUX as a “moderate buy” on average, reflecting mixed but generally constructive analyst views. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Brady Brewer sold a small number of shares under a pre‑arranged Rule 10b5‑1 plan — a routine disclosure that typically has limited informational value. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks is cutting roles in its technology organization as the new CTO restructures the team, which could lead to near‑term charges and execution risk on tech initiatives. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Employees are reportedly resisting relocation to the new Nashville hub, and the move has drawn negative headlines — potential distraction and talent retention risk. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Shares have been penciled in for volatility ahead of the April 28 earnings print after a recent quarter that missed EPS estimates and given a relatively high P/E and weak ROE, leaving the stock sensitive to execution misses. Read More.

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.