July 19 (Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott Investment

Management has built a sizeable stake in Starbucks ( SBUX ), a

source told Reuters on Friday.

The Wall Street Journal had first reported on the

development.

Elliott has been engaging with the coffee chain behind the

scenes in recent weeks, according to the WSJ report, which said

that the activist has been pushing Starbucks ( SBUX ) privately to boost

its stock price.

Shares of Starbucks ( SBUX ) were last up over 5% in afternoon

trading.

Starbucks ( SBUX ) and Elliott did not immediately respond to Reuters

requests for comment.