Polen Capital Management LLC Sells 2,095,833 Shares of Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Polen Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 23.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,785,308 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 2,095,833 shares during the period. Starbucks makes up about 2.4% of Polen Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Polen Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $571,391,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sepio Capital LP increased its stake in Starbucks by 6.9% in the fourth quarter. Sepio Capital LP now owns 50,249 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $4,231,000 after purchasing an additional 3,227 shares during the period. Xponance LLC lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Xponance LLC now owns 189,785 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $15,982,000 after purchasing an additional 8,486 shares during the last quarter. Canopy Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Canopy Partners LLC now owns 12,714 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,071,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 218,849 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $18,429,000 after purchasing an additional 2,245 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Coastwise Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Coastwise Capital Group LLC now owns 16,470 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,387,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Starbucks

In related news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,053,565. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 1,641 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.33, for a total value of $154,795.53. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 80,181 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,563,473.73. The trade was a 2.01% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,099 shares of company stock worth $804,907. 0.03% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks is reportedly evaluating a sale or IPO-style transaction for its Japan operations, a move that could unlock value from one of its most important overseas markets and free up capital for other priorities. Starbucks Evaluates Sale and IPO Options for Japanese Operations (SBUX)
• Positive Sentiment: Additional reports said Starbucks has held early discussions with investment banks about strategic options in Japan, reinforcing speculation that management may take another asset-light step similar to its recent China ownership changes. Starbucks mulls options for Japan business, including stake sale
• Positive Sentiment: Business headlines also pointed to ongoing operational momentum, including stronger U.S. comparable-store sales, rising transactions across income groups, and improving operating income, which supports the view that the turnaround is gaining traction. Starbucks eyes massive change in key market
• Positive Sentiment: Investor enthusiasm was also reflected in unusually heavy call-option buying, a sign that some traders are positioning for further upside in SBUX. Starbucks eyes massive change in Japan
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO Brady Brewer disclosed a pre-arranged share sale under a 10b5-1 trading plan, which is routine and not necessarily a bearish signal, but it can create modest headline noise. SEC filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SBUX has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $110.00 target price on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens initiated coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. They set an “overweight” rating for the company. Citigroup lifted their target price on Starbucks from $99.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Tigress Financial started coverage on Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $122.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.93.

Starbucks Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of Starbucks stock opened at $102.28 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $116.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.98. Starbucks Corporation has a 12 month low of $77.99 and a 12 month high of $108.88. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $100.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $94.59.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The coffee company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $9.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.17 billion. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 29.24% and a net margin of 3.89%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.41 earnings per share. Starbucks has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.250-2.450 EPS. Analysts forecast that Starbucks Corporation will post 2.42 earnings per share for the current year.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 187.88%.

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.