Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. Reduces Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. reduced its stake in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 142,704 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 7,178 shares during the quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc.’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $12,017,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Aerodigm Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in Starbucks by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Aerodigm Wealth LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $357,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 13,516 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $1,138,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 38.2% in the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 409 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC now owns 3,187 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $268,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Wynn Capital LLC boosted its position in Starbucks by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Wynn Capital LLC now owns 11,895 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,002,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on SBUX. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Starbucks from $97.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Stephens assumed coverage on Starbucks in a report on Thursday, May 14th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Starbucks from $112.00 to $117.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.48.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In other news, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total value of $210,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 57,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,053,565. This represents a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total value of $233,621.49. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 81,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,548,198.79. This trade represents a 2.66% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 11,187 shares of company stock valued at $1,111,085. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Starbucks

Here are the key news stories impacting Starbucks this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Starbucks completed a cash tender offer, which helps refine its debt profile and may improve financial flexibility. Starbucks Completes Cash Tender Offer, Refines Debt Profile
• Positive Sentiment: Investors continue to focus on Starbucks’ “Back to Starbucks” turnaround efforts, including cost cuts and operational simplification, which can support longer-term margin improvement. Starbucks Restructuring Tests Back To Starbucks Turnaround And Margin Hopes
• Neutral Sentiment: Starbucks shares were described as holding steady while the market digested the company’s $400 million restructuring hit, suggesting investors are still evaluating whether the long-term savings justify the near-term charge. Starbucks Shares Hold Steady As Investors Continue To Digest $400 Million Restructuring Hit
• Negative Sentiment: New reports said Starbucks’ plastic cups marketed as recyclable often end up in trash rather than recycling facilities, adding reputational and ESG pressure. US group says Starbucks plastic cups marked recyclable end up in trash
• Negative Sentiment: Starbucks Korea’s chief was fired after the “Tank Day” promotion triggered backlash, underscoring execution and brand-safety risks for the company internationally. Starbucks Korea head fired after ‘Tank Day’ promotion sparks public uproar

Starbucks Stock Performance

SBUX opened at $106.50 on Thursday. Starbucks Corporation has a 1 year low of $77.99 and a 1 year high of $108.88. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $98.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.87. The company has a market cap of $121.38 billion, a PE ratio of 80.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is 187.88%.

About Starbucks

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.