Wedbush Issues Positive Forecast for Starbucks Earnings

Starbucks Co. (NASDAQ:SBUX) – Stock analysts at Wedbush lifted their Q3 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Starbucks in a research report issued on Wednesday, January 29th. Wedbush analyst N. Setyan now forecasts that the coffee company will post earnings per share of $0.93 for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $0.91. Wedbush currently has a “Neutral” rating and a $100.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for Starbucks’ current full-year earnings is $3.00 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Starbucks’ Q4 2025 earnings at $0.90 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.06 EPS.

Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The coffee company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.01. Starbucks had a negative return on equity of 44.30% and a net margin of 9.73%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.90 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on SBUX. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Starbucks from $110.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Redburn Atlantic reissued a “sell” rating and set a $77.00 target price (down previously from $84.00) on shares of Starbucks in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Starbucks from $118.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $115.00 price target on shares of Starbucks in a research report on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Starbucks from $98.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $105.52.

Starbucks Stock Performance

Starbucks stock opened at $109.00 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.00. Starbucks has a 1 year low of $71.55 and a 1 year high of $110.34. The company has a market capitalization of $123.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.99.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel raised its stake in Starbucks by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Kuhn & Co Investment Counsel now owns 4,240 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC raised its position in shares of Starbucks by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Jmac Enterprises LLC now owns 9,995 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $912,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Starbucks by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Aspire Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,210 shares of the coffee company’s stock valued at $2,118,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co boosted its position in Starbucks by 3.4% during the third quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 3,199 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $312,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optas LLC grew its stake in Starbucks by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Optas LLC now owns 16,711 shares of the coffee company’s stock worth $1,525,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Starbucks

In related news, CFO Rachel Ruggeri sold 1,491 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $99.54, for a total value of $148,414.14. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 80,124 shares in the company, valued at $7,975,542.96. This represents a 1.83 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.98% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Starbucks Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.61 per share. This represents a $2.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Starbucks’s dividend payout ratio is presently 78.71%.

About Starbucks

Starbucks Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a roaster, marketer, and retailer of coffee worldwide. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Channel Development. Its stores offer coffee and tea beverages, roasted whole beans and ground coffees, single serve products, and ready-to-drink beverages; and various food products, such as pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and lunch items.