Coffee giant Starbucks (SBUX) is always willing to try strange and unusual new directions in beverages, which gave rise to things like the secret menu. But the latest move seems to be a bridge too far for investors as Starbucks wheels out new drinks built around coconut water. A new test is planned across several markets, but shareholders were not especially interested. They sent shares sliding nearly 1.5% in Thursday afternoon’s trading.
Elevate Your Investing Strategy:
- Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence.
The new drinks will combine either matcha foam or cold brew foam over coconut water, and go by the names Coco Matcha and Coco Cold Brew options. Over 400 locations will test out the new drinks, including stores in New York, Los Angeles, and throughout Chicago. The Coco drinks were originally part of a testing program Starbucks calls the “Starting Five,” a set of five Starbucks locations that serve as an initial test bed before branching out to a larger test bed.
Senior vice president of Starbucks global product experience Dana Pellicano noted, “Health and wellness at Starbucks isn’t a trend — it’s a long-standing commitment. We are incorporating real-time feedback with a focus on transparency, functionality, and evolving consumer needs.” The test is not exactly a long shot, either, as Starbucks has found a lot of success in the past with cold foam, one of Starbucks’ most popular drink modifiers now.
The Recent Slide
Those who have been following Starbucks stock for the last few months know that things have not been great out there. In fact, reports note, shares are down about 19% over the last six months. So some are starting to wonder: is this an entry point in the making, or is this a red flag like a bedsheet on a stick?
That is ultimately up to the investor, but things do not look good at Starbucks right now. Consensus estimates for earnings per share for the full-year 2025 and 2026 are both down. In the last 30 days, the 2025 figure is down 11.2% and the 2026 figure is down 6.8%, reports note. And much of Starbucks’ hopes these days are pinned to the Green Apron Service concept, a large-scale initiative that has a lot of moving parts and potential failure points. This does not bode well going forward.
Is Starbucks Stock a Good Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on SBUX stock based on 13 Buys, eight Holds and one Sell assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 3.16% loss in its share price over the past year, the average SBUX price target of $100.68 per share implies 13.79% upside potential.
