SteelPeak Wealth LLC Purchases New Holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

SteelPeak Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 14,792 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,816,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 1st quarter worth $906,000. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 42.9% during the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 3,588 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $746,000 after buying an additional 1,077 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Darden Restaurants by 5.7% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 16,024 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,329,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares during the period. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 85.2% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 2,208 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,016 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,500 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on DRI. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 12th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. This represents a 28.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Darden Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised FY?2026 and some quarter estimates (FY?2026 to $10.56 EPS; Q4?2026 to $3.55; Q4?2027 to $3.62; Q1?2027 to $2.10), which supports the view that full?year results remain solid and within Darden’s FY?2026 guidance range. This provides some upside for valuation support.
• Positive Sentiment: Jim Cramer highlighted Darden’s performance driven by its chicken business, a positive media mention that can boost investor sentiment and short?term demand. Darden Restaurants (DRI) Did Okay Because of the Chicken, Says Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Broker commentary roundup — outlets reviewed analyst takeaways after Darden’s Q2 report; these summaries provide context but didn’t introduce major new catalysts beyond the Zacks revisions. Analyst Estimates: Here’s What Brokers Think Of Darden Restaurants, Inc. After Its Second-Quarter Report
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed several near?term and FY?2027 estimates (notable cuts: Q1?2028 to $2.16 from $2.39; Q2?2027 to $2.26 from $2.44; Q3?2027 to $3.30 from $3.34; Q3?2026 to $2.96 from $2.97; FY?2027 lowered to $11.29 from $11.36). Those downgrades suggest slightly softer near?term growth expectations and are weighing on the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: The mixed revision pattern (multiple small cuts vs. a few raises) increases earnings?estimate volatility and short?term uncertainty for investors, which can pressure the share price until clearer sales/cost trends reappear in upcoming quarters.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DRI opened at $187.12 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.66. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.00 and a fifty-two week high of $228.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $180.31 and a 200-day moving average of $195.82.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.44% and a net margin of 8.92%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.03 EPS. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 62.89%.

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.