Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI – Get Free Report) CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 8,478 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total transaction of $1,780,380.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 8,569 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,799,490. This trade represents a 49.73% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.
Darden Restaurants Trading Down 2.4%
Shares of DRI stock opened at $207.09 on Friday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $220.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.62 billion, a PE ratio of 19.95, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.60. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $203.73 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $203.18.
Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.03. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 57.44% and a net margin of 9.13%.The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. The business’s revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.98 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 11.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Darden Restaurants Increases Dividend
Institutional Trading of Darden Restaurants
Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DRI. Meridian Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth $2,404,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in Darden Restaurants by 33.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 23,473 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,319,000 after purchasing an additional 5,830 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Darden Restaurants by 313.9% during the fourth quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 13,598 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,502,000 after purchasing an additional 10,313 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth $1,007,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 14,063,355 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,587,939,000 after buying an additional 43,965 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Darden Restaurants News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Darden Restaurants this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Brokerages maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” recommendation, suggesting analysts generally view Darden’s long-term outlook favorably. Darden Receives Moderate Buy Recommendation
- Positive Sentiment: LongHorn Steakhouse reportedly delivered strong momentum, with sales jumping 9.5%, supporting Darden’s strategy of relying on higher-growth brands to drive expansion. Darden CEO Sold Shares as LongHorn Jumped and Olive Garden Lagged
- Neutral Sentiment: Darden is pursuing a leaner growth path, which could improve efficiency and returns but may also signal a more measured expansion strategy. Darden Tests a Leaner Growth Path
- Negative Sentiment: CEO Ricardo Cardenas sold 39,134 shares for approximately $8.2 million after exercising options, reducing his direct holdings by about 31%. While the option-related structure may make the sale less concerning, the sizable transaction can weigh on sentiment. CEO Form 4 Filing
- Negative Sentiment: CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 8,478 shares worth about $1.8 million, cutting his position nearly 50%, while SVP Susan Connelly sold 2,226 shares. Multiple senior-executive sales may reinforce near-term selling pressure. Darden Insider Transactions
- Negative Sentiment: Olive Garden, Darden’s largest brand, lagged LongHorn, highlighting uneven brand performance and potential concerns about traffic and growth at the company’s core business. Brand Performance Report
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Argus upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $272.00 to $276.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Evercore cut shares of Darden Restaurants from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $230.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $228.88.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Darden Restaurants
About Darden Restaurants
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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