At its base, coffee giant Starbucks (SBUX) lives and dies by its beverages. So when those beverages change, the response from customers ultimately determines the course of the company. And right now, several drink shakeups have hit with the seasonal changes. Customer response is mixed, and investors are getting concerned. Sufficiently concerned, in fact, to send shares down fractionally in Friday afternoon’s trading.
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One point that has customers concerned is the lack of one drink on the menu this fall. While Pumpkin Spice, of course, made its mostly inevitable comeback, and several new drinks also stepped in, one notable absence has fans crying foul. That drink is Apple Crisp, a drink which started showing up in 2021, and generally stuck around ever since.
But customer outcry is getting surprisingly deep over the loss of Apple Crisp, and other apple beverages. Fall is apple season in a lot of places, after all, and for Starbucks to fall flat on the apple side is leaving customers unnerved. Several commenters on social media expressed dissatisfaction, with one going so far as to state, in mostly caps, “OMG I JUST LOOKED UP THIS SUB BECAUSE IM SO DEVASTATED!!!!! I woke up early this morning to walk to Starbucks and get an apple crisp drink! I know this is a silly thing to fuss about but WTF Starbucks!!”
Kyoto Matcha Latte, Only in Japan
Meanwhile, the Japanese will be getting their own unique treat in a matcha latte. This is not a new treat, however, as apparently, the Kyoto Matcha Latte has origins dating all the way back to 2008. Now, with the 20th anniversary of Starbucks’ chilled cup series release in Japan, the Kyoto Matcha Latte is making a comeback.
And this will be a true blast from the past; the milk involved in its making is actually from the same source it was derived from back in 2008. Though Starbucks did reportedly increase the amount of matcha being used in a bid to “…achieve a deeper, richer flavour.” Still, the idea of having a drink this similar to one that last showed up nearly 20 years ago has a certain appeal to it.
Is Starbucks Stock a Good Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on SBUX stock based on 14 Buys, eight Holds and two Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 6.93% loss in its share price over the past year, the average SBUX price target of $100.68 per share implies 14.92% upside potential.
