Key Points
- Susan Connelly, SVP, sold 2,635 shares of Darden (NYSE:DRI) on Jan. 14 at an average price of $207.36 for $546,393.60, reducing her holding by 39.14% to 4,098 shares (≈$849,761).
- Dividend announced: Darden declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share (ex-dividend Jan. 9, payable Feb. 2), equal to $6.00 annually and a ~2.8% yield with a 62.89% payout ratio.
- Results and outlook: Darden posted Q3 EPS of $2.08 (missed by $0.02) with revenue up 7.3% to $3.10B, set FY2026 guidance of $10.50–$10.70, and carries a consensus analyst target price of $223.00.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) SVP Susan Connelly sold 2,635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total transaction of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $849,761.28. This trade represents a 39.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.
Darden Restaurants Trading Up 0.3%
Darden Restaurants stock opened at $214.96 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $185.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $194.74. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $228.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.
Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.10 by ($0.02). Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 52.44%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.
Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is 62.89%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $430,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. GAM Holding AG grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 0.7% during the second quarter. GAM Holding AG now owns 6,975 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,520,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. MAI Capital Management raised its position in Darden Restaurants by 0.7% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 7,177 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,564,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 3.6% in the 2nd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 1,540 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,285 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $625,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research firms recently commented on DRI. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $227.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.00.
Get Our Latest Research Report on DRI
Darden Restaurants Company Profile
(
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Darden Restaurants, Inc is a multi-brand, full-service restaurant company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The company owns and operates a portfolio of casual and fine-dining concepts that together serve millions of guests through company-owned and franchised locations. Its well-known brands include Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse, alongside other dining concepts that span Italian, American, steakhouse and upscale casual formats.
Darden's restaurants provide a range of guest-facing services including dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering, and feature menus tailored to each brand's positioning—Italian-American fare at Olive Garden, steaks and grilled items at LongHorn, and more premium steakhouse and chef-driven offerings at its upscale concepts.
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