Crux Wealth Advisors Sells 1,662 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Crux Wealth Advisors reduced its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 51.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,538 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,662 shares during the period. Crux Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $335,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 6,692 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,395,000 after buying an additional 1,345 shares during the period. TrueMark Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 2nd quarter worth $4,986,000. Hamlin Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Hamlin Capital Management LLC now owns 918,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $200,181,000 after buying an additional 4,989 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC now owns 62,704 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $13,668,000 after buying an additional 372 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in Darden Restaurants by 32.1% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 910 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of DRI stock opened at $188.16 on Friday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $157.89 and a 52-week high of $228.27. The stock has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $199.61 and a 200-day moving average of $204.87.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.04). Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 52.35%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.75 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.31%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total value of $1,094,837.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. This represents a 28.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.70, for a total transaction of $236,837.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 10,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,176,370.40. The trade was a 9.81% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,674 shares of company stock valued at $1,507,575. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on DRI shares. Argus cut their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $252.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $255.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.59.

Darden Restaurants Profile

Darden Restaurants, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates full-service restaurants in the United States and Canada. It operates under Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, and Capital Burger brand names.