Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Given “Buy” Rating at BTIG Research

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI)‘s stock had its “buy” rating restated by analysts at BTIG Research in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $225.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock. BTIG Research’s target price points to a potential upside of 10.31% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Melius Research raised shares of Darden Restaurants from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Mizuho raised shares of Darden Restaurants from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $234.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $224.89.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of DRI stock opened at $203.96 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $208.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $194.68. Darden Restaurants has a 52 week low of $169.00 and a 52 week high of $228.27. The stock has a market cap of $23.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.38, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.01. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.44% and a net margin of 8.92%.The firm had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.80 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Darden Restaurants news, insider John W. Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total value of $480,954.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 17,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,787,992. This trade represents a 11.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the insider directly owned 44,252 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,165,474.24. This represents a 13.83% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 18,770 shares of company stock valued at $3,948,970 in the last quarter. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth $26,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by 926.7% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 154 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its full?year revenue and adjusted EPS outlook and reiterated capital returns, which supports investor confidence and upside potential. Reuters: Darden raises annual sales forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results: adjusted EPS roughly in line ($2.95) and revenues (~$3.35B) up ~5.9% YoY — modestly better than expectations on a reported basis, with comps helped by LongHorn and new restaurants. These operational beats underpin the stock’s resilience. PR Newswire: Q3 results & press release
• Positive Sentiment: Darden declared a $1.50 quarterly dividend (ex?dividend April 10), reinforcing the yield/cash?return story that supports demand from income?oriented investors. PR Newswire: Dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Brand-level strength: LongHorn Steakhouse led comps, and systemwide same?store sales and unit growth were bright spots — a tangible growth driver for revenue and margin recovery. WSJ: Sales rise boosted by LongHorn
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reaction is mixed: some firms reaffirm ratings (Stephens kept an equal?weight $205 PT) while others adjusted forecasts — overall tone is cautiously constructive but not uniformly bullish. Benzinga: analyst forecast changes
• Negative Sentiment: GAAP results were weighed by one?time impairments and the wind?down of Bahama Breeze locations; those charges cloud near?term comparability and prompted the early pullback after the release. MarketBeat: Q3 earnings and impairments

Darden Restaurants Company 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.