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Compare Stocks › ABBV vs SBUX

AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) vs Starbucks Corporation (SBUX): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-08-03, ABBV is overvalued at $251, with a DCF intrinsic value of $178 and a margin of safety of -41%. SBUX is overvalued at $105, with an intrinsic value of $59 and a margin of safety of -79%. Of the two, ABBV has the wider margin of safety.

ABBV
AbbVie Inc.
$250.94
VS
SBUX
Starbucks Corporation
$105.25

Rewards

ABBV
  • ★AbbVie Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Gross margin of 72.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★AbbVie Inc. scores 82/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with reinvestment efficiency as the strongest competitive dimension.
SBUX
  • ★Starbucks Corporation has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Starbucks Corporation scores 71/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.

Risks

ABBV
  • ⚠Buybacks have been poorly timed — 3 out of 4 years involved repurchases at relatively expensive valuations.
  • ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 9.8% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
SBUX
  • ⚠Gross margin of 22.3% is low, suggesting a competitive or commodity-like market with limited pricing power.
  • ⚠FCF yield of 2.6% is below 3%, meaning the market is pricing in substantial future growth to justify the current price.
  • ⚠Trailing P/E of 60.8x is 73% above the historical average of 35.1x — the stock trades at a premium to its own history.

Key Valuation Metrics

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ABBV
SBUX
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$3.07B
N/A
FCF Yield
2.55%
70.89
Trailing P/E
60.84
15.41
Forward P/E
33.93
Quality & Moat
27.60%
ROIC
17.43%
N/A
ROE
N/A
72.79%
Gross Margin
22.34%
0.41
PEG Ratio
1.28
Balance Sheet Safety
N/A
Net Debt / Equity
N/A
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
2.06
Net Debt / EBITDA
3.34
2.76%
Dividend Yield
2.36%
ABBV: 6Ties: 1SBUX: 1
ABBVSBUX

Historical Fundamentals

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ABBV

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

SBUX

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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ABBV
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-19.85B
Δ Market Cap
+$118.02B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
SBUX
$-9.28
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Market Cap Declined
Σ Retained
$1.95B
Δ Market Cap
$-18.13B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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ABBV
40.7% Overvalued
Price is 40.7% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $250.94
Fair Value: $178.31
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
SBUX
79.0% Overvalued
Price is 79.0% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $105.25
Fair Value: $58.79
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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ABBV

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

SBUX

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $105?

+25.8%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies +18.9%

The market implies +25.8% Owner Earnings growth, above historical trends.

Standard FCF implies a demanding +18.9%, reflecting heavy growth investment.

Economic Moat Score

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ABBV
82/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Reinvestment Efficiency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
SBUX
71/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat driven primarily by roic consistency. Margin Stability is the area most vulnerable to competitive pressure.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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ABBV
-2.86
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
SBUX
-2.77
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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ABBV
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 76.9%Retail & Other 23.0%
No. of Institutional Holders5,146
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
SBUX
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 86.7%Retail & Other 13.1%
No. of Institutional Holders2,940
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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ABBV
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
SBUX
0
Buys (3M)
1
Buys (12M)
Total value (12M): $994,500
KNUDSTORP JORGEN VIG
Director
$994,500
@ $85.00 · 2025-11-10
KNUDSTORP JORGEN VIG
Director
$34,770
@ $91.50 · 2024-09-06
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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ABBV
0
Sells (3M)
5
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $21.79M
PURDUE DAVID RYAN
Officer
$1.22M
@ $233.56 · 2026-03-04
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$4.38M
@ $234.39 · 2026-03-02
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$5.15M
@ $230.00 · 2026-02-25
SALEKI-GERHARDT AZITA
Chief Operating Officer
$8.41M
@ $198.42 · 2025-08-12
DONOGHOE NICHOLAS
Officer
$2.64M
@ $198.51 · 2025-08-05
STEWART JEFFREY RYAN
Officer
$12.36M
@ $210.08 · 2025-03-31
REENTS SCOTT T.
Chief Financial Officer
$3.75M
@ $212.34 · 2025-03-14
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$5.82M
@ $208.69 · 2025-03-03
GONZALEZ RICHARD A
Director
$20.26M
@ $205.45 · 2025-03-03
RICHMOND TIMOTHY J
Officer
$4.47M
@ $210.45 · 2025-03-03
BUCKBEE KEVIN K
Officer
$3.85M
@ $203.41 · 2025-02-26
RICHMOND TIMOTHY J
Officer
$6.07M
@ $202.90 · 2025-02-26
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$1.14M
@ $197.90 · 2025-02-20
BUCKBEE KEVIN K
Officer
$310,032
@ $172.24 · 2024-12-16
GONZALEZ RICHARD A
Officer and Director
$12.40M
@ $186.52 · 2024-08-05
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
SBUX
3
Sells (3M)
10
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $1.56M
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$231,816
@ $104.00 · 2026-07-06
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$58,800
@ $100.00 · 2026-06-11
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$154,796
@ $94.33 · 2026-06-05
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$233,621
@ $104.81 · 2026-05-05
KELLY SARA
Officer
$210,000
@ $105.00 · 2026-04-29
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$58,800
@ $100.00 · 2026-04-17
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$147,690
@ $90.00 · 2026-04-06
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$58,800
@ $100.00 · 2026-03-09
KELLY SARA
Officer
$242,800
@ $97.12 · 2026-03-05
BREWER BRADY
Officer
$159,374
@ $97.12 · 2026-03-05
KELLY SARA
Officer
$1.94M
@ $101.37 · 2024-11-29
RUGGERI RACHEL
Chief Financial Officer
$148,414
@ $99.54 · 2024-11-21
RUGGERI RACHEL
Chief Financial Officer
$143,850
@ $99.07 · 2024-11-15
CONWAY MICHAEL AARON
Officer
$305,598
@ $94.03 · 2024-08-15
RUGGERI RACHEL
Chief Executive Officer
$299,916
@ $91.16 · 2024-08-13
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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ABBV
FearGreed
😏Greed(61/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
SBUX
FearGreed
😐Neutral(60/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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ABBV
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Greed (61)
SBUX
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (60)
View ABBV Full AnalysisView SBUX Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: ABBV vs SBUX

Is AbbVie Inc. or Starbucks Corporation more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, ABBV trades at a -40.7% margin of safety (intrinsic value $178 vs. price $251), compared to SBUX's -79.0% margin of safety (intrinsic $59 vs. $105).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, AbbVie Inc. or Starbucks Corporation?▼

ABBV scores 82/100 (Wide moat), while SBUX scores 71/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is AbbVie Inc. in financial distress?▼

ABBV's Altman Z-Score of 2.4 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. SBUX scores 2.5 (Grey zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, AbbVie Inc. or Starbucks Corporation?▼

ABBV earns 27.6% ROIC versus SBUX's 17.4%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, AbbVie Inc.'s or Starbucks Corporation's?▼

ABBV's dividend earns a safety score of 39/100 (Unsafe), compared to SBUX's 24/100 (Unsafe). ABBV has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

ABBV vs SBUX: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026? | SafetyMargin.io