Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Trims Position in Starbucks Corporation $SBUX

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) by 3.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 161,724 shares of the coffee company’s stock after selling 5,537 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Starbucks were worth $13,619,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Collier Financial bought a new position in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Rachor Investment Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Y.D. More Investments Ltd bought a new position in Starbucks during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Tucker Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Starbucks during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. 72.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Starbucks Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of SBUX opened at $94.14 on Friday. Starbucks Corporation has a 52-week low of $77.99 and a 52-week high of $108.88. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $99.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.09. The stock has a market cap of $107.29 billion, a PE ratio of 71.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.98.

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

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Starbucks’s payout ratio is presently 187.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on SBUX. UBS Group cut shares of Starbucks from a “neutral” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Starbucks from a “sector perform” rating to a “positive” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Evercore lifted their target price on shares of Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Starbucks from a “strong sell” rating to a “moderate sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, TD Cowen raised shares of Starbucks from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $106.00 to $120.00 in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Starbucks presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.48.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Brady Brewer sold 2,229 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.81, for a total transaction of $233,621.49. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 81,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,548,198.79. The trade was a 2.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Sara Kelly sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.00, for a total transaction of $210,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 57,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,053,565. The trade was a 3.35% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 7,046 shares of company stock worth $708,911. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the company’s stock.

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.