J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI – Free Report) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 254,045 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,642 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG owned approximately 0.22% of Darden Restaurants worth $49,803,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DRI. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 80,001 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $17,438,000 after acquiring an additional 2,553 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the second quarter valued at approximately $200,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 3.2% in the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 2,424 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $529,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC increased its position in Darden Restaurants by 15.7% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 19,045 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,151,000 after purchasing an additional 2,581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Darden Restaurants by 5.9% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 18,183 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,964,000 after purchasing an additional 1,012 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Darden Restaurants News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting Darden Restaurants this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its estimates for several future quarters, including Q1 2028, Q2 2028, Q3 2028, and FY2029, suggesting improving longer-term earnings power for Darden. DRI stock page
- Positive Sentiment: The latest commentary still implies solid profitability ahead, with FY2028 EPS projected at $12.17 and FY2029 EPS at $13.19, which supports the bullish case for the restaurant operator. DRI stock page
- Neutral Sentiment: The company recently reported quarterly earnings that slightly beat EPS expectations, while revenue was just below estimates; that results mix is not a major new catalyst but continues to show steady operating performance. DRI stock page
- Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed some near-term forecasts, including Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, FY2027, FY2028 Q4, and Q4 2028 EPS, which could weigh on sentiment because it suggests some earnings pressure in the nearer horizon. DRI stock page
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by SVP Susan Connelly, who sold 9,930 shares, may also be a small headwind for investor sentiment, even though it does not change the company’s fundamentals. Article on insider sale
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Get Our Latest Research Report on Darden Restaurants
Darden Restaurants Trading Down 0.0%
Shares of DRI stock opened at $204.21 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $23.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.00 and a fifty-two week high of $220.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $202.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $202.41.
Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.03. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 9.13% and a return on equity of 57.44%. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.98 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 11.28 EPS for the current year.
Darden Restaurants Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, July 10th will be issued a $1.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Darden Restaurants’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 62.43%.
Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants
In related news, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 9,930 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total value of $2,047,665.30. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $858,864.65. This represents a 70.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 3,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.16, for a total value of $731,819.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 274 shares in the company, valued at $55,391.84. This trade represents a 92.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Darden Restaurants Profile
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.
Featured Articles
- Five stocks we like better than Darden Restaurants
- 3 Rare-Earth ETFs That Help Investors Balance Exposure and Risk
- Microsoft Bets on In-House AI to Cut OpenAI and Anthropic Costs
- Delta Air Lines Lives Up to Its Claims: Shares Can Keep Climbing
- This Dividend ETF Choice Could Shape Your Income Strategy Through 2026
Receive News & Ratings for Darden Restaurants Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Darden Restaurants and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
