Newport Trust Company LLC Sells 3,330 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Newport Trust Company LLC decreased its holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 0.2% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,860,895 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 3,330 shares during the period. Darden Restaurants makes up 0.8% of Newport Trust Company LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Newport Trust Company LLC’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $354,240,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DRI. Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 820.4% in the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 706,416 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $153,977,000 after buying an additional 629,669 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 45.2% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,917,398 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $417,935,000 after acquiring an additional 596,863 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 192.6% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 880,765 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $191,980,000 after acquiring an additional 579,759 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the second quarter worth $125,521,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 239.4% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 722,529 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $157,490,000 after purchasing an additional 509,655 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DRI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $207.00 price target (down from $240.00) on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Thursday, January 8th. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.78.

Darden Restaurants News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded DRI from Neutral to Outperform and raised its price target to $235 (from $195), citing Olive Garden strength and implying meaningful upside vs. the current price. Mizuho upgrades Darden Restaurants (DRI)
• Positive Sentiment: Melius Research moved its rating from Hold to Buy, adding to analyst bullishness that can support upward momentum in the stock. Melius Research upgrade (Finviz link)
• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and shareholder returns remain supportive: FY2026 guidance was set at $10.50–$10.70 EPS and the firm announced a $1.50 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.00). Those items underpin earnings visibility and yield appeal for income-focused investors. MarketBeat Darden Restaurants coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Raymond James reiterated a Market Perform rating, signaling some analysts remain cautious and limiting consensus conviction despite upgrades. Raymond James Reiterates Market Perform for Darden
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion: recent coverage (Yahoo Finance) highlights mixed share performance vs. fundamentals — investors are weighing the higher multiple against steady cash flow and brand strength. A Look At Darden Restaurants (DRI) Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director John Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares at roughly $213, reducing his stake ~11%. While insider sales can be routine, they can pressure sentiment if they repeat. John Wilkerson insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Another insider, Rajesh Vennam, sold 6,774 shares — additional insider exits add to short-term headwinds for sentiment. Rajesh Vennam Sells DRI Shares

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE DRI opened at $205.93 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The business has a 50-day moving average of $188.79 and a 200-day moving average of $194.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.59, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.64. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.00 and a 12 month high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.10 by ($0.02). Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 52.44%. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is 62.89%.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In related news, insider John W. Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total value of $480,954.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,787,992. This represents a 11.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.12, for a total value of $1,471,173.36. Following the sale, the insider owned 44,252 shares in the company, valued at $9,165,474.24. The trade was a 13.83% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 18,770 shares of company stock valued at $3,948,970 over the last ninety days. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by 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.