Retained Earnings
Starbucks Retained Earnings decreased by 5.0% to -$8.69B in Q4 2025 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 19.7%, from -$7.26B to -$8.69B. Over 5 years (FY 2020 to FY 2025), Retained Earnings shows relatively stable performance with a 1.0% CAGR. This decline may warrant attention — for this metric, higher values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
Consistent growth in retained earnings signals a profitable business model that can sustain itself without constant external capital raises.
Detailed definition
The cumulative amount of net income that has been reinvested in the business rather than distributed to shareholders as...
Peer comparison
Mature, highly profitable companies like Apple may actually see this decrease if they return more cash to shareholders via buybacks than they earn in net income.
retained_earningsHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | -$7.50B | -$6.32B | -$8.75B | -$9.07B | -$8.72B | -$8.45B | -$8.20B | -$8.02B | -$7.61B | -$7.26B | -$8.10B | -$7.97B | -$7.56B | -$7.34B | -$7.26B | -$7.57B | -$7.70B | -$8.27B | -$8.69B |
| QoQ Change | — | +15.8% | -38.6% | -3.6% | +3.9% | +3.1% | +2.9% | +2.2% | +5.2% | +4.7% | -11.6% | +1.6% | +5.1% | +2.9% | +1.2% | -4.3% | -1.8% | -7.4% | -5.0% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -16.2% | -33.8% | +6.3% | +11.5% | +12.7% | +14.1% | +1.3% | +0.7% | +0.6% | -1.2% | +10.4% | +5.1% | -1.8% | -12.6% | -19.7% |
Retained Earnings at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Starbucks's retained earnings?
- Starbucks (SBUX) reported retained earnings of -$8.69B in Q4 2025.
- How has Starbucks's retained earnings changed year-over-year?
- Starbucks's retained earnings decreased by 19.7% year-over-year, from -$7.26B to -$8.69B.
- What is the long-term trend for Starbucks's retained earnings?
- Over 5 years (2020 to 2025), Starbucks's retained earnings has grown at a 1.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from -$8.25B to -$8.69B.
- What does retained earnings mean?
- The total profits the company has kept and reinvested since it started, after paying out any dividends.