We recently published a list of 8 Best Beverage Dividend Stocks To Buy According to Hedge Funds. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) stands against best beverage stocks that pay dividends.
Retail sales rebounded significantly in October as the economy remained stable and consumers overcame worries about a port strike and other challenges that had dampened sales in September, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay noted that consumer spending picked up again in October, supported by job growth and increased wages throughout the year. He observed that inflation remained largely confined to services, with prices for some retail goods even declining. Shay indicated that October’s sales performance had laid a solid foundation for the holiday shopping season to begin on a positive note. When we examine specific sectors, we see that grocery and beverage stores experienced a 0.87% increase on a seasonally adjusted month-over-month basis and a 3.76% rise year-over-year without seasonal adjustments.
The food and beverage industry faced significant challenges during the pandemic. While in-home consumption surged, out-of-home dining virtually ceased, leading to a substantial decline in business and severely impacting the sector. Since then, the industry has undergone numerous transformations and is now in a recovery phase. According to a Market Research report, the global food and beverages market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.9% between 2022 and 2027. The market’s growth is being driven by shifting consumer habits, out-of-town retail parks, and retail stores.
READ ALSO: 7 Best Beverage Stocks that Pay Dividends
Coffee remains the most popular beverage among Americans. In 2023, spending on out-of-home cold coffee, such as iced coffee, cold brew, and frozen coffee drinks, reached $17.7 billion—more than double the $8.5 billion spent in 2016, according to the food service research firm Technomic. Additionally, the National Coffee Association (NCA) reported that coffee consumption outside the home has returned to pre-pandemic levels as people resume visiting coffee shops and workplaces. Over a third of consumers who drank coffee on a given day did so away from home, marking the highest rate since January 2020, as highlighted in the NCA’s National Coffee Data Trends report.
Consumer behavior plays a critical role in shaping any industry, and the beverage sector is no exception. This industry is adapting to evolving preferences, with more Americans seeking alternatives to alcohol. Beverage companies emphasizing the health benefits of their products are striving to tap into this trend. According to data insights firm NCSolutions, over 40% of Americans aim to reduce their alcohol consumption in 2024, an increase from 34% the previous year. Among Generation Z, this figure rises to 61%, compared to 40% in 2023 who expressed similar intentions.
Technology stocks have been the standout performers this year, with gains of nearly 29%. While food and beverage stocks haven’t seen exceptional growth, the Food & Beverage index, which represents companies across various sub-industries in the sector, has still delivered a modest year-to-date return of 7.5%. Over the past 12 months, the index has risen by approximately 14%. In view of this, we will take a look at some of the best beverage stocks to buy.
A barista pouring a freshly brewed cup of coffee from a high-end espresso machine.
Our Methodology
To select the best beverage stocks, we scanned Insider Monkey’s database of 900 hedge funds as of Q3 2024 and picked companies that are primarily involved in the production and distribution of a wide variety of liquid refreshments, including soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, bottled water, energy drinks, fruit juices, sports and nutritional drinks, and dairy-based beverages. From that list, we selected 10 companies that pay dividends to shareholders and ranked them in ascending order of the number of hedge funds having stakes in them as of Q3 2024.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points. (see more details here).
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 76
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is a multinational chain of coffeehouses that specializes in a wide range of coffee beverages. The stock had been underperforming until August when it unexpectedly surged following a surprise leadership change. In August, the company appointed Brian Niccol as its new CEO, and immediately after the announcement, Starbucks’ shares rose by over 20%. The stock is up by nearly 10% year-to-date.
In fiscal Q4 2024, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) reported revenue of $9.07 billion, down by 3.2% from the same period last year. Its operating cash flow for the quarter came in at over $6 billion. The company opened 722 net new stores in Q4, bringing its total store count to 40,199 by the end of the period, with 52% being company-operated and 48% licensed. ClearBridge Investments appreciated Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) on its strong business model in its Q3 2024 investor letter. Here is what the firm said:
“Similarly, we took advantage of a business reset at Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in the third quarter to initiate a position in the global coffee retailer. A confluence of factors, including degraded store-level operations and long consumer wait times, consumer fatigue with high prices and weakening engagement among occasional Starbucks customers has led to declining U.S. same-store sales growth. While the path ahead will likely require reinvestment back into the business, there are many merits to Starbucks’ business including its strong brand name and category leading market position. In response to recent challenges, Starbucks has appointed change-agent CEO Brian Niccol, who we know from the Strategy’s ownership of Chipotle Mexican Grill during its turnaround. Niccol has a successful track record of investing in product innovation and fixing execution issues, which we believe are the primary challenges facing Starbucks today. Starbucks represents the kind of successful playbook we have executed on historically – focusing on high-quality businesses and brands while being disciplined around the entry point into investments with attractive risk-reward opportunities.”
On October 23, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) declared a 7% increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.61 per share. This was the company’s 14th consecutive year of dividend growth. Moreover, the company has been making regular dividend payments for the past 58 consecutive quarters. The stock’s dividend yield on November 24 came in at 2.38%.
Insider Monkey’s database of Q3 2024 showed that 76 hedge funds owned stakes in Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX), up from 70 in the preceding quarter. The collective value of these stakes is over $3.25 billion.
Overall, SBUX ranks 1st on our list of best beverage dividend stocks to buy according to hedge funds. While we acknowledge the potential for SBUX to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SBUX but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.