A Turnaround Is Brewing At Starbucks. Here’s Where It’ll End The Year

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By Vandita Jadeja Published

Quick Read

  • SBUX beat EPS estimates by 31%, raised FY26 guidance for the third consecutive time, and our $120.60 price target implies 16% upside.

  • MCD posts 2.5% comps and CMG reports flat growth, making Starbucks' 8% global comps the strongest growth story in QSR.

  • Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Starbucks didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

A Turnaround Is Brewing At Starbucks. Here’s Where It’ll End The Year

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Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX | SBUX Price Prediction) is showing what a turnaround looks like when the model works. Global comps up 7.9%, an EPS beat of 30.79%, and a raised full-year guide have shifted the narrative from “show me” to “how much runway is left?”

Our 24/7 Wall St. price target for Starbucks is $120.60, implying 15.8% upside from the current $104.14. Our research framework rates shares buy with high confidence.

SBUX price target

24/7 Wall St. Price Target Summary

Metric Value
Current Price $104.14
24/7 Wall St. Price Target $120.60
Upside 15.8%
Recommendation BUY
Confidence Level 90%

From Skepticism to Proof: The Turnaround Is Real

Starbucks has climbed 25.21% year to date and 15.02% over the past year. Shares sit roughly 3% off the 52-week high of $109.23 and well above the September 2025 low near $82.68.

The Q3 FY26 report on July 29, 2026 confirmed the turnaround. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.85 beat the $0.65 consensus, revenue reached $9.32 billion, and North America comps grew 8.1% with transactions up 4.5%. Non-GAAP operating margin expanded 430 basis points to 14.4%.

CEO Brian Niccol said “Our third quarter results are proof they do.” Management raised FY26 non-GAAP EPS guidance to $2.55 to $2.65, the third upward revision this year.

An infographic titled 'Starbucks Corporation SBUX NASDAQ 12-Month Price Prediction'. The main section, 'THE CALL', shows a Current Price of $104.14 and a Price Target of $120.60, indicating a BUY recommendation with 15.8% UPSIDE and a High Confidence of 90%. Below, 'HOW WE GOT THERE' lists methodology: Trailing P/E-Based Price: $104.14, Forward P/E-Based Price: $108.87, Analyst Consensus Target (Weighted 30%): $106.45, and Weighted Base Price (Before Adjustments): $107.20. 'OUR ADJUSTMENTS' shows proprietary adjustments with a bar chart, detailing Earnings Growth Contribution (+3%), Social Sentiment (+1%), Market Cap Dampening (-1%), and Other Factors as Neutral, leading to a Final 247 Wall St. Adjusted Target of $120.60. The 'BULL CASE' section suggests what could go right for a target of $135.80 (+30.4%), listing Q4 US Comps Growth ≥6.5%, Channel Development Revenue Growth +22% Q3 YoY, and China Asset-Light Model & Margin Recovery. The 'BEAR CASE' section suggests what could go wrong for a target of $104.65 (+0.5%), listing Consumer Spending Sensitivity, Heavy North America Reliance, and Restructuring Charges & Negative Equity. The 'THE BOTTOM LINE' reiterates the BUY -> $120.60 TARGET (+15.8% UPSIDE), with a concluding statement about the turnaround.
24/7 Wall St.

The Case for $135+

Bulls have a clear path. If Q4 US comps hit management’s 6.5%+ guide and margin expansion holds, FY27 EPS could push toward $3.25, and a 38x multiple gets shares to our bull-case $135.80 one-year target.

Channel Development grew 22% in Q3, the China joint venture with Boyu Capital shifted 7,991 stores to a higher-margin licensed model, and IEEPA tariff refunds provide tailwind.

Wolfe Research upgraded to Outperform with a $112 price target. BEA figures show food-services spending reached $1,538.3 billion in May 2026, the highest in the dataset.

SBUX analyst ratings

What Could Go Wrong

Risks are concrete. Prediction-market signals imply a downside target of $91.48, and insider activity has skewed toward selling. Shareholders’ equity remains negative at -$7.67 billion, restructuring charges hit $302.6 million in Q3, and the P/E of 64 leaves little room for comp deceleration.

Our bear case sees shares around $104.65 in a year, essentially flat. The elevated multiple reflects a business in early innings of earnings recovery, and negative book value reflects years of aggressive buybacks and dividends.

How Starbucks Compares to McDonald’s and Chipotle

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD)

McDonald’s trades at a P/E of 26 with operating margin near 45% and Q1 FY26 comps of 2.5%. Starbucks trades at nearly triple the multiple but delivers more than double the comp growth. That premium looks defensible while the turnaround accelerates.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG)

Chipotle’s Q2 FY26 comps came in at flat with restaurant-level margin compressing to 26%, and the stock sits near 52-week lows. Starbucks is now the faster-growing story in fast-casual/QSR, making our $120.60 target look reasonable.

Starbucks Price Prediction 2026-2030

The 24/7 Wall St. price target of $120.60 with 90% confidence and a buy rating reflects genuine earnings inflection backed by four consecutive quarters of accelerating comps.

The bull thesis strengthens if Q4 US comps confirm the 6.5%+ guide and margins hold. The thesis weakens if transaction growth stalls below 3% or coffee inflation resurges.

SBUX price scenario
Year 24/7 Wall St. Price Target
2026 $112.34
2027 $120.60
2028 $138.00
2029 $152.00
2030 $167.20

These projections assume Starbucks executes on the Back to Starbucks plan and the China licensed model scales as designed. Upside could come from faster Channel Development monetization; downside would trace to a consumer discretionary pullback.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

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About the Author Vandita Jadeja →

Vandita Jadeja is a financial copywriter who loves to read and write about stocks. She believes in buying and holding for long term gains. Her knowledge of words and numbers helps her write clear stock analysis. She has contributed to several publications, including the Joy Wallet, Benzinga, The Motley Fool and InvestorPlace.

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