New York, Jan 26, 2026, 15:18 EST — Regular session
- Starbucks shares dipped roughly 1.4% in afternoon trading, underperforming the broader market rally.
- Wall Street is gearing up for Starbucks’ fiscal Q1 earnings due Wednesday, followed by Investor Day on Thursday.
- Analysts pointed to a familiar divide: stable sales on one side, margin pressures on the other.
Shares of Starbucks (SBUX.O) slipped 1.4% to $96.22 in afternoon trading Monday, after hitting a session high of $97.95. The stock dipped as low as $95.84, with roughly 8.1 million shares exchanging hands.
The retreat comes just days ahead of two key events for the coffee giant. Starbucks is set to report fiscal first-quarter earnings at 7:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Jan. 28, with a conference call scheduled for 8:00 a.m. ET. (Starbucks Investor Relations)
Starbucks is holding its 2026 Investor Day the following day, featuring presentations from CEO Brian Niccol and CFO Cathy Smith. A Q&A session will follow. The webcast kicks off around 8:00 a.m. ET and is expected to wrap up by noon. (Starbucks Investor Relations)
Why it matters now: investors are demanding numbers that back up the narrative. They want a clearer picture of comparable sales — that is, sales at stores open at least a year — and a more straightforward outlook on margins as Starbucks invests in boosting service and refreshing the store experience.
Mizuho raised its Starbucks price target to $95 from $86 on Monday, maintaining a Neutral rating. The firm noted “little risk” to near-term same-store sales forecasts but highlighted a complex margin outlook, citing coffee costs and labor inflation as major factors. (Investing.com Nigeria)
Guggenheim bumped its price target to $90 from $88, maintaining a Buy rating. The firm described Investor Day as Niccol’s platform to detail expectations for unit growth, same-store sales, margin rebound, and EPS over the coming years, alongside strategies for store operations and marketing. (Investing)
The wider market showed strength. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) and Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ) both climbed roughly 0.6% in afternoon trading. Investors are bracing for the Federal Reserve meeting this week, alongside a busy slate of corporate earnings. (Reuters)
Peers showed a mixed picture. McDonald’s climbed roughly 1.1%, Yum Brands barely moved, Dutch Bros dropped around 2.8%, and Restaurant Brands International declined about 1.8%.
For Starbucks, the question isn’t if sales will stabilize but how much it will cost to reach that point. Rising coffee input prices or steeper wage and staffing expenses could delay margin recovery, even if demand stays steady.
Bulls face a double threat: cautious traffic forecasts paired with a slower margin ramp-up. Even a solid quarter could be overshadowed if Investor Day guidance comes in weak, or if the company shies away from clear targets on store growth and profits.
Starbucks is set to release its fiscal Q1 results before the market opens on Jan. 28. The following day, Jan. 29, it holds Investor Day, with a focus on long-term goals and initial signs that its turnaround efforts can gain momentum.
