MQS Management LLC Invests $445,000 in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,041 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $445,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bowman & Co S.C. boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 0.5% during the second quarter. Bowman & Co S.C. now owns 9,631 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,099,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 32.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 15.8% in the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 381 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on DRI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Barclays reduced their target price on Darden Restaurants from $255.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Raymond James Financial reduced their target price on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total transaction of $1,094,837.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. The trade was a 28.92% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.65, for a total transaction of $107,031.95. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,816.95. The trade was a 8.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 7,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,438,707 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:DRI opened at $184.92 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $197.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $204.74. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $157.89 and a 52-week high of $228.27. 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 company has a market cap of $21.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 0.77.

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

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

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

Darden Restaurants Company 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.