Seattle, Washington-based Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) is the world’s largest specialty coffee roaster and retailer. With a global footprint of tens of thousands of stores across more than 87 countries, it currently holds a market cap of $96.2 billion. Founded in 1971, Starbucks operates primarily through company-operated and licensed retail stores offering premium coffee, espresso beverages, teas, food items, packaged goods, and merchandise under brands such as Starbucks Coffee, Teavana, Seattle’s Best Co ...

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently put under a microscope. Cramer called it an “early-stage turnaround story,” as he commented: “Alright, next, maybe the most controversial stock in the 500, it’s called Starbucks. This is an early-stage turnaround story under the leadership of the fantastic Brian Niccol. But many investors may have gotten impatient because they don’t recognize that these turnarounds usually take a long time… Starbucks has basically been range-boun ...

Group 1: Company Challenges and Strategies - Starbucks has faced increasing challenges since Brian Niccol became CEO, with the ambitious "Return to Starbucks" plan struggling to revitalize growth due to unexpected changes in consumer behavior [2] - The company has seen a decline in customer traffic and same-store sales, with North American traffic expected to remain negative until 2026 [2][8] - Bernstein projects that Starbucks' investments in labor, estimated to reach $1.5 to $2 billion over two years, will lay the foundation for recovery [2] Group 2: Financial Performance - In Q2 of fiscal year 2025, Starbucks reported revenue of $8.76 billion, a 2.3% year-over-year increase, but below Wall Street's expectation of $8.82 billion [6] - Same-store sales fell by 1%, with a 4% decline in the U.S. market, while the Chinese market saw a 4% increase in transactions but a 4% drop in average ticket price [6] - Adjusted operating margin decreased by 460 basis points to 8.2%, and net profit dropped by 50.3% to $384.2 million, with earnings per share falling 50% to $0.34, missing analyst forecasts [6] Group 3: Analyst Expectations and Stock Performance - Bernstein maintains an "outperform" rating for Starbucks, raising the target price from $90 to $100, citing labor plan transparency and profit margin stability as catalysts for long-term growth [9] - Evercore ISI analyst David Palmer also raised the target price from $95 to $105, reflecting increased market confidence in Starbucks' ability to overcome current challenges [9] - The stock has risen 24% over the past 52 weeks and 9% in the last month, with an expected adjusted P/E ratio of 38 and a sales multiple of 2.9, both above industry averages [4][5]