Key Points
- CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares on Jan. 15 at an average of $214.12 for about $1.45M, leaving him with 9,040 shares — a 42.84% drop in his ownership, per the SEC filing.
- Darden beat revenue (Q: $3.10B, +7.3% YoY) but narrowly missed EPS ($2.08 vs. $2.10), set FY2026 guidance of $10.50–$10.70 EPS, announced a $1.50 quarterly dividend (annual $6.00, 2.9% yield), and carries a MarketBeat consensus of "Moderate Buy" with a $223 target.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $214.12, for a total value of $1,450,448.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 9,040 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,935,644.80. This trade represents a 42.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.
Darden Restaurants Price Performance
Darden Restaurants stock opened at $208.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $24.03 billion, a PE ratio of 21.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $186.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.27. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $169.00 and a one year high of $228.27.
Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.10 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 52.44%. The business's revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.03 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.89%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wedmont Private Capital boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 1,178 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $254,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Darden Restaurants by 236.0% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 51,169 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $11,271,000 after purchasing an additional 35,939 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 3.9% during the second quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 23,320 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,083,000 after purchasing an additional 876 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth about $432,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 674.9% during the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 56,268 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $12,265,000 after purchasing an additional 49,007 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $232.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $185.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $223.00.
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About Darden Restaurants
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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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