Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) Stock Has Average Price Target of $232.48 According to Analysts

Posted by Francis Steltz on Oct 20th, 2026

Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI – Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-five analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $232.82.

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, September 25th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Darden Restaurants from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd.

View Our Latest Analysis on Darden Restaurants

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In other news, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,226 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.17, for a total value of $463,386.42. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,165 shares in the company, valued at approximately $867,028.05. This trade represents a 34.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 8,478 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $210.00, for a total value of $1,780,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,569 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,799,490. This trade represents a 49.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 60,255 shares of company stock worth $12,589,319. 0.67% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Focus Financial Network Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 4.6% during the third quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 1,148 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 44.8% during the first quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 181 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 15.7% during the 3rd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 442 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 1.1% in the second quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 5,789 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,193,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional boosted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 2,299 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $444,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of DRI stock opened at $216.31 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $211.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $205.03. Darden Restaurants has a one year low of $169.00 and a one year high of $229.76. The stock has a market cap of $24.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.63.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The restaurant operator reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.05. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.85% and a return on equity of 58.64%. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.97 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. Analysts predict that Darden Restaurants will post 11.24 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, October 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 9th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 63.34%.

About Darden Restaurants

(Get Free Report)

Darden Restaurants, Inc is a full-service restaurant company that owns and operates a portfolio of dining brands in the United States. Its restaurants offer a range of cuisines and dining formats, including Italian-American, steakhouse, seafood, casual dining and polished casual concepts.

The company’s portfolio includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V’s. These brands serve meals prepared for on-premises dining, as well as takeout and other off-premises occasions.

Darden traces its history to 1968, when founder William “Bill” Darden opened the first Red Lobster restaurant in Lakeland, Florida.