Who Owns Starbucks? List of Largest SBUX Shareholders
With over 38,000 branches all over the world, Starbucks has become a worldwide behemoth in the food and beverage industry. In this article we will discuss Starbucks’ ownership structure and its largest institutional and individual shareholders.
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Starbucks Corporation (SBUX) is a coffeehouse chain with more than 38,000 branches worldwide.
- The company has 1,132,800,000 outstanding shares, priced at $91.56 per share
- In 1992 Starbucks went public with its IPO, which was priced between $14.00 and $16.00.
- The biggest institutional Starbucks shareholders are investment companies and asset management firms.
- The biggest individual Starbucks shareholders are insiders and former employees with high-ranking positions.
Starbucks Ownership Structure
Starbucks was founded in 1971 in Seattle by three entrepreneurs: Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker. At the time, the company was inspired by Peet’s Coffee & Tea, whose owner (Alfred Peet) shared the coffee trade with Baldwin, and sold only coffee beans and coffee-making devices. In Starbucks’ first operating year, the company used to source their coffee beans from Peet’s Coffee & Tea but later went on to source them directly from farmers. In 1987, thanks to the company’s ownership change, Starbucks expanded its product range to include coffee and other related beverages, instead of only coffee beans.
In 1991, Starbucks decided to open the gates for employees to invest in the company and become shareholders. A year later the company truly went public with its IPO and listed its 2,100,000 outstanding shares. Each share at the time sold for between $14.00 and $16.00. However, Starbucks stock (SBUX) has grown since then, with the company now having 1,132,800,000 outstanding shares, priced at $91.56 per share.
As Starbucks is a publicly owned company, both institutional and individual investors have had their chance to invest in the company. The biggest institutional shareholders are mostly investment companies and asset management firms. The biggest individual Starbucks shareholders, on the other hand, are insiders and former employees with high-ranking positions.
Starbucks Shareholders: Top 3 Institutional Owners
Below are the top three largest institutional Starbucks shareholders who own Starbucks.
1. Vanguard Inc.
Since its founding in 1975 by John C. Bogle, the creator of the first index fund, the company has managed to accumulate $9.3 trillion in assets as of May 2024. Besides asset management, Vanguard Inc. also offers other financial services, including mutual funds, ETFs and retirement accounts. The company focuses on long-term returns and low investment costs, a trait that mostly benefits its retirement clients. Vanguard also aims to educate and offer resources to give the community autonomy over their own finances. The company owns 108.4 million Starbucks shares, worth over $8.2 billion, making up 9.57% of its total outstanding shares.
2. BlackRock Inc.
BlackRock Inc. is the world’s largest provider of ETFs, specializing in asset and risk management. The total worth of the assets under management comes to approximately $10 trillion, surpassing Vanguard Inc.. The financial services company was founded in 1988 by Larry Fink and a group of co-founders. In 2000, BlackRock introduced BlackRock Solutions to offer software systems, including Aladdin, the system that the firm itself uses for risk analytics and portfolio management. This asset and risk management giant owns $5.7 billion worth of SBUX shares, which translates to 6.7% of Starbucks shares (76 million shares), making it the second largest Starbucks shareholder.
3. State Street Corp.
Based in Boston Massachusetts, State Street is the largest custodian bank worldwide, with mostly institutional assets under its management. The financial advisory company offers, among other things, investment management services and fund administration services. Founded in 1960, State Street Corp has ownership over 4% of Starbucks stock, which comes to 45.8 million shares worth $3.4 billion.
Starbucks Shareholders: Top 3 Individual Owners
Below are the top three largest individual Starbucks shareholders who own Starbucks.
1. Mellody L. Hobson
Mellody L. Hobson grew within the company to become senior vice president and director of marketing. She is currently the president and co-CEO of the investment company and holds the position of chair at Starbucks. This individual Starbucks shareholder owns 728,620 shares, giving her ownership over 0.06% of the company. Her share is worth approximately $66.7 million.
2. Michael Aaron Conway
Before joining Starbucks in 2013, Michael Aaron Conway held the position of president at McNeil Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Prior to that, Conway was the vice president of marketing at Campbell Soup Company. His time at Starbucks entailed numerous leadership roles. He currently serves as the chief executive officer of Starbucks North America. Conway’s share of the company is worth approximately $7.2 million, which means that he owns 0.007% of the company (78,304 shares).
3. Rachel Ruggeri
With her roots in the financial sector, Ruggeri started her career at Starbucks in the accounting department in 2001. Nine years later her first big promotion to Vice President of Corporate Planning happened and Ruggeri has been climbing the corporate ladder since then. Since 2021, the numbers fanatic was named executive vice president and chief financial officer, in addition to her position of interim CEO. Ruggeri owns 65,341 Starbucks shares, which come to a total value of just below $6 million and 0.006% of the company.
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Conclusion
Starbucks has grown rapidly since first opening in Seattle in 1971. Its ownership structure is a division between institutional and individual shareholders. The first group of shareholders consists mostly of companies offering financial services. The second group, however, is mostly (former) employees.
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FAQs on Largest Starbucks Shareholders
Who is the owner of the Starbucks company?
Starbucks Corporation is publicly owned, which means that shareholders own the company.
Who is the biggest Starbucks shareholder?
The biggest Starbucks shareholder is Vanguard Inc., an investment and risk management firm that owns $8.2 billion of Starbucks stock.
Who runs Starbucks now?
The company is currently by Brian Niccol.
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