Lumen Technologies Inc vs Starbucks Corp — how do they compare? Lumen Technologies Inc trades at $6.78 (market cap $6.47B), while Starbucks Corp trades at $104.83 (market cap $119.45B). The key difference: Starbucks Corp is far larger — about 18.5× Lumen Technologies Inc's market cap, and Starbucks Corp pays a 2.37% dividend while Lumen Technologies Inc pays none. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| LUMN | SBUX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $6.47B | $119.45B |
Sector | Media | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $11.83 | $108.37 |
52-Week Low | $3.70 | $78.46 |
Enterprise Value | $18.10B | $142.14B |
Volume | — | 7,493,833 |
Dividend Yield | — | 2.37% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
LUMN trades at $6.275, down 0.08% on the day, with a bearish technical signal but oversold RSI readings. The company reported a net loss of $1.74B in 2025 despite beating EPS estimates in two of the last three quarters. Recent news highlights strategic acquisitions like Alkira to bolster its AI networking capabilities, while the balance sheet shows high debt levels of $17.49B long-term.
The outlook remains challenging due to persistent losses and heavy debt, though cost-cutting initiatives and a $13B contract backlog offer potential upside. Analyst consensus is cautious with a $8.25 price target, but the stock's deep value (P/S 0.52) may attract contrarians if EBITDA improves. Key risks include execution on turnaround plans and interest expense pressure.
Starbucks (SBUX) trades at $104.64, down 0.81% on the day, with a bullish technical outlook supported by moving averages. The stock shows mixed earnings performance, missing estimates in Q3 and Q4 2025 but beating in Q1 2026, while revenue growth remains steady. Recent news highlights cost-cutting initiatives, including a $400 million AI-driven software reduction plan, and strong channel development growth of 39% year-over-year in Q2 2026.
The investment outlook is cautiously optimistic, with a consensus price target of $108.86 offering modest upside. Key opportunities include margin expansion from cost efficiencies and dividend growth, but risks involve high valuation multiples, competitive pressures, and inconsistent earnings performance. Analyst sentiment is balanced with 47% buy and hold ratings each.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
With 450,000 route miles of fiber, including over 35,000 route miles of subsea fiber connecting Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Lumen Technologies is one of the United States' largest telecommunications carriers serving global enterprises. Its merger with Level 3 further shifted the company's operations toward businesses (over 70% of revenue) and away from its legacy consumer business. Lumen offers businesses a full menu of communications services, providing colocation and data center services, data transportation, and end-user phone and internet service. On the consumer side, Lumen provides broadband and phone service across 37 states, where it has 4.5 million broadband customers.
Read more on LUMN →Starbucks Corporation retails, roasts, and provides its own brand of specialty coffee. The Company operates retail locations worldwide and sells whole bean coffees through its sales group, direct response business, supermarkets, and on the world wide web. Starbucks also produces and sells bottled coffee drinks and a line of ice creams.
Read more on SBUX →