SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. Cuts Position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 27.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,855 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,455 shares during the quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DRI. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the first quarter worth approximately $84,801,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the first quarter valued at approximately $53,760,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by 6.6% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,998,200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $830,666,000 after purchasing an additional 247,542 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by 3,824.2% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 177,217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,819,000 after purchasing an additional 172,701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by 4.6% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,601,340 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $748,215,000 after purchasing an additional 157,305 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of DRI opened at $180.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $20.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $195.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $204.26. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12-month low of $157.89 and a 12-month high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its earnings results 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). The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The business’s revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.75 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was 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 directly owned 13,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,691,354.40. This trade represents a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on DRI shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $252.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Melius started coverage on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.82.

About Darden Restaurants

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.