So with the end of the year approaching—and yes, it is almost the end of 2025 already—it is little surprise that we are seeing more countdowns and year-in-review material. One list has already started at 24/7 Wall St.: a list of the worst CEOs of the year. And that list already contains one name who would rather not be there: coffee giant Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Brian Niccol. This meant little to shareholders, though, who sent Starbucks shares surging up nearly 2.5% in Tuesday afternoon’s trading.
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The list is mostly being built from who had the biggest blunders in 2025, as well as based on decisions that impact shareholders, customers, and employees. And the numbers do support such a notion. Back in March, the report noted, Starbucks stock was trading around $117 per share. Today the number is closer to $85 per share. This led to two key conclusions: “Niccol has damaged the company,” and “Shareholders have paid the price.”
And while Niccol had some significant plans for turnaround, plans like bringing Starbucks back as a “third place” and leaning heavily on baristas to make a warm and welcoming yet incredibly fast-paced environment, the plans did not turn out as hoped. Instead, Niccol sold off the Starbucks operation in China—which was supposed to be a major draw—and oversaw not only surging labor trouble but also periodic stock-outs on food.
We Investigated Ourselves and Found We Did Nothing Wrong
Meanwhile, the “third place” plan is sticking around, and Starbucks has a little new ammunition to support it. Starbucks commissioned a study from Morning Consult, and discovered that 70% of Gen Z consumers were planning to hit a coffee shop over Thanksgiving week. Interestingly, only about a third of that number were planning to hit a bar or pub that same week.
The study found that the 2,201 United States adults studied were planning to “savor the moment” with friends or family during that coffee shop visit. That was more than any other generation except millennials, which was a significant point in its own right. Though it is hard to project a marketing strategy from one study that covers under 2,500 people out of a population of over 300 million, the point does remain.
Is Starbucks Stock a Good Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Moderate Buy consensus rating on SBUX stock based on 12 Buys, seven Holds and two Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 17.22% loss in its share price over the past year, the average SBUX price target of $95 per share implies 11.24% upside potential.
