Merit Financial Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 10.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 93,867 shares of the coffee company’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,518 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $9,592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Starbucks by 86.5% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 176,722 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $16,126,000 after buying an additional 81,952 shares during the last quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. lifted its stake in Starbucks by 47.0% during the 2nd quarter. Schnieders Capital Management LLC. now owns 3,642 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $334,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164 shares during the period. Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Starbucks in the 2nd quarter valued at $288,000. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL increased its stake in shares of Starbucks by 92.8% in the second quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 5,225 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 2,515 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Starbucks by 7.6% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 112,710 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $10,328,000 after purchasing an additional 7,978 shares during the last quarter. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Monday, July 20th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Starbucks in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $126.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Starbucks from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 14th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $109.92.

Trending Headlines about Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Fresh 52-week high: Starbucks reached $108.49, signaling strong momentum and renewed investor demand. The stock is approaching the upper end of its multiyear trading range, where a decisive breakout could attract additional technical buyers. Starbucks Reaches $108.49, a Fresh 52-Week High Starbucks Technical Breakout Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Profitability focus: Coverage of Starbucks’ latest earnings call suggests management is emphasizing profits and operational performance over pursuing growth at any cost. That focus could support margins and investor confidence, particularly after the company exceeded quarterly earnings expectations in the supplied background information. Starbucks Earnings Call Signals Profits Over Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-drink opportunity: Starbucks is among restaurant chains expanding into energy drinks, potentially broadening afternoon traffic, average sales and appeal to younger consumers. The strategy could create incremental growth, though its financial contribution is not yet clear. Fast-Food Chains Expand Into Energy Drinks
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports about Starbucks’ Canadian depository receipt and comparisons with other stocks provide market information but no new company-specific catalyst. Starbucks Canadian Depository Receipt Quote
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks’ inclusion in broader dividend-stock commentary does not materially change the company’s current outlook. S&P 500 Dividend Stock Commentary
• Negative Sentiment: At a market capitalization above $120 billion and a high earnings multiple, SBUX has limited room for disappointment. The technical rally could also encounter resistance near the top of its multiyear range.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.99, for a total transaction of $236,251.71. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 75,135 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,963,558.65. The trade was a 2.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 6,687 shares of company stock valued at $681,663 in the last quarter. 0.03% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Starbucks Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of SBUX stock opened at $108.49 on Thursday. Starbucks Corporation has a 12-month low of $77.99 and a 12-month high of $109.23. The business’s 50 day moving average is $103.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $99.84. The company has a market capitalization of $123.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 62.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 0.97.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 142.53%.

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.