Swedbank AB Cuts Stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Swedbank AB cut its stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 8.0% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 62,281 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 5,418 shares during the period. Swedbank AB’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $12,210,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Darden Restaurants by 81.0% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,077,567 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,486,434,000 after purchasing an additional 3,613,781 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 78.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,666,919 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $507,675,000 after buying an additional 1,171,890 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter valued at $144,483,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth $113,301,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 42.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,884,339 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $346,756,000 after buying an additional 563,237 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. BTIG Research increased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $229.32.

Darden Restaurants News Roundup

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

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:DRI traded up $2.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $204.21. 1,554,121 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,531,505. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $23.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.60. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $202.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $202.32. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a twelve month low of $169.00 and a twelve month high of $220.65.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.03. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 57.44% and a net margin of 9.13%.The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.98 EPS. The firm’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, equities research analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 11.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Darden Restaurants’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is 57.80%.

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In related news, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 3,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.16, for a total transaction of $731,819.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,391.84. This trade represents a 92.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 9,930 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,165 shares in the company, valued at $858,864.65. This trade represents a 70.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Darden Restaurants

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.