We recently published a list of 10 Best Food 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 other best food stocks to buy according to hedge funds.

The food industry covers a wide range of businesses, including grocery stores, manufacturers, and non-alcoholic beverage companies. Many food-related stocks are classified as consumer staples, making them relatively resilient to economic downturns.

The food sector is among the world’s steadily growing industries. A report by Fortune Business Insights revealed that the global foodservice market was valued at $3.24 trillion in 2023 and is projected to nearly double to $6.35 trillion by 2032. This growth reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 7.5%.

The United States is a major player in this market, with its food service sector projected to reach $1.77 trillion by 2030. This significant growth can be attributed to the increasing popularity of fast food chains and a growing consumer appetite for convenient, on-the-go meals.

Emerging Trends in the Food Sector

Automation and digitalization are shaping the food industry in 2024, particularly in the restaurant and retail sectors. Due to labor shortages, a strategic approach to scalability in this industry involves a combination of human workforce and automation. With ongoing challenges like workforce gaps and inflation, these sectors are relying more on solutions such as self-checkout systems and AI-driven recommendations.

Upskilling initiatives, data-driven insights, and automation are helping businesses in the food industry improve efficiency and drive growth. The food industry automation market is expected to grow significantly, with projections estimating its value to reach $113.9 billion by 2031, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 11%.

Companies in the food industry are also adjusting to changing consumer preferences by offering more healthy options and expanding into new markets. They’ve responded to the rise in demand for plant-based and organic products by introducing innovative new items to meet these evolving tastes.

READ ALSO: 7 Best Organic Food and Farming Stocks to Buy and 15 Largest Food Companies in the World by Market Cap.

Food Sector’s Resilience: Why It Remains a Strong Investment Choice?

Despite the potential challenge posed by the rise of weight-loss drugs, analysts remain confident in the long-term prospects of food companies. The food sector is considered a stable and dependable investment due to its consistent demand and resilience during economic downturns.

Sally Lyons Wyatt, a global EVP and Chief Advisor overseeing consumer goods and food service insights at Circana explained:

“We have started to see prices stabilize — they’re still 30% higher than 2019, but they’ve stabilized, and we’re not seeing the month-over-month double-digit increases. That is helping fuel what we think will be a bit of a rebound on volume — about a 1% increase on volume for food.”

Overall, the food industry has navigated recent economic challenges by implementing strong pricing strategies and maintaining solid brand loyalty. Investments in manufacturing and expanding product portfolios have also set these companies up for future growth. Moreover, the increasing global population presents a significant opportunity for further industry expansion. The Food & Beverage Select Industry Index returned nearly 5% since the start of 2024 and in the past 12 months, it delivered a nearly 12% return to shareholders.

Our Methodology

To narrow down the 10 best food stocks to buy according to hedge funds, we used Finviz and Yahoo Finance screeners to create a list of top food companies. From there, we selected the 10 stocks with the highest number of hedge fund investors, based on Insider Monkey’s database of over 900 prominent hedge funds as of Q3 2024. The best food stocks have been ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds holding stakes in them.

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 globally recognized coffee brand operating through three key segments: North America, International, and Channel Development. The company offers an extensive range of coffee and tea beverages, food products, and merchandise. Moreover, Starbucks licenses its brand to third-party stores and retailers, further expanding its market presence.

The appointment of former Chipotle CEO, Brian Niccol, has sparked optimism among investors for Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX). He has a proven track record of turning around businesses which has ignited hopes for a revival. In addition to this, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)’s focus on expanding its store footprint, particularly in China, could drive future growth. It tops our list of the best food stocks.

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is appealing to dividend-focused investors with a competitive yield of 2.34%. This payout is well-supported by the company’s strong financials. In the past year, Starbucks generated $3.6 billion in free cash flow, with a five-year average of $2.81 billion.

On October 16, analysts at Morgan Stanley raised their price target for Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) shares from $98 to $115, maintaining an “Overweight” rating.

Here’s what ClearBridge Investments said about Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:

“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.”

Overall, SBUX ranks 1st on our list of best food stocks to buy according to hedge funds. While we acknowledge the potential of food companies, our conviction lies in the belief that 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.

READ NEXT: 8 Best Wide Moat Stocks to Buy Now and 30 Most Important AI Stocks According to BlackRock.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.