It’s been quite some time since I remember opening up a Starbucks (SBUX) quarterly report with a smile. Thankfully last week’s fourth-quarter results finally helped me regain some of my faith as a shareholder in the coffee giant. Clearly on a mission to clean house and get his business back in order Howard Schulz led his Starbucks team through major cost-cutting initiatives. The closing of over 800 inefficient and unnecessary US locations has nearly come to a close. Technological advances in daily operations were implemented. And brand loyalty is making a comeback. The focal points of the quarter were ...

The coffee king will provide a window into the consumer’s mind when it announces earnings later today. Analysts expect Starbucks (SBUX) to report fourth-quarter earnings of about $0.2 per share on revenue of $2.4 billion compared with earnings of a penny per share on revenue of $2.5 billion for the same period a year ago. The expected higher earnings are attributed to the company’s decision to cut prices on easy-to-make beverages while boosting prices on more complicated drinks. Look for same-store sales to show improvement as the recession eases and the company’s cost-cutting efforts to begin to pay off. ...

4 of the top performing consumer goods stocks.

Coffee stocks have shot up in 2009, but what's driving the move is less certain.

Coffee stocks have been seeing a surge in interest. The moves have generally come on in just the past few sessions and could be just beginning.

Gourmet coffeehouse takes handcrafted beverages to a new level with premium Guittard