Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTTrey ThoelckeWed, August 5, 2026 at 1:45 PM GMT+2 3 min readQuick ReadStarbucks beat Q3 FY2026 EPS estimates by 29%, with global comp sales surging 8% and operating margin expanding 430 basis points to 14%.A $10,000 SBUX investment at the 2011 rebrand has grown to $82,271, nearly doubling the S&P 500's return over the same period.Shares trade at 35 times forward earnings with a consensus target of $112, leaving little cushion if Niccol's operational fixes disappoint.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.From Siren Solo to Global IconIn early 2011, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) marked its 40th birthday by stripping the wordmark from its logo, leaving only the green siren. It was a confident branding bet, and it landed at the start of a decade of aggressive expansion into mobile ordering, loyalty, and China. The stock rode that wave for years, then stalled.24/7 Wall St.The past five years told a messier story: post-pandemic traffic softness, labor pressure, and CEO turnover. That set the stage for Brian Niccol, the former Chipotle chief, to arrive in FY2025 with his "Back to Starbucks" plan built around baristas, throughput, and in-store experience.The Turnaround Is Showing Up in the NumbersIn Q3 FY2026, reported July 29, 2026, Starbucks posted non-GAAP EPS of $0.85, beating the $0.66 estimate by 28.79%. Revenue of $9.32 billion dipped slightly due to the China retail divestiture to a Boyu Capital JV, but global comp sales jumped 7.9%, North America comps rose 8.1%, and operating margin expanded 430 bps to 14.4%. Niccol called results "the turn in our turnaround."SBUX Earnings Explorer — 24/7 Wall St.What $10,000 Since the 2011 Rebrand Looks LikeShares were $12.76 on March 8, 2011, and closed at $104.97 on August 4, 2026. Here is the return arc versus the S&P 500 on a $10,000 Starbucks investment: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.PeriodStarbucksS&P 500Since 40th Anniversary$82,271 (722.71%)$58,178 (481.78%)10-Year$23,168 (131.68%)$35,353 (253.53%)5-Year$9,912 (−0.88%)$17,460 (74.60%)1-Year$12,004 (20.04%)$12,221 (22.21%)Year-to-Date$12,620 (26.20%)$11,311 (13.11%)The arc is exactly what the setup implied: a monster winner off the 2011 rebrand, then a flat half-decade as growth engines sputtered, now re-accelerating as operational fixes land. Dividend income sweetened returns, with the Starbucks quarterly payout climbing from $0.13 in 2011 to $0.62 today (split-adjusted).Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info