Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Acquires 33,410 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 59.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 89,678 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 33,410 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned about 0.08% of Darden Restaurants worth $17,071,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Midwest Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,441,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 12.7% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,275,000 after acquiring an additional 4,804 shares during the period. Capital Management Associates Inc bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the second quarter valued at about $795,000. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the second quarter valued at about $1,983,000. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp increased its position in Darden Restaurants by 754.0% during the second quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 2,246 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $490,000 after acquiring an additional 1,983 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE:DRI opened at $189.91 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $169.00 and a one year high of $228.27. The company has a market cap of $22.09 billion, a PE ratio of 19.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $180.27 and its 200 day simple moving average is $197.95.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.09 by ($0.01). 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.03 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.31%.

Key Stores Impacting Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raised revenue outlook and solid top‑line — Darden reported revenue of $3.10B (+7.3% y/y) and strong comps at Olive Garden and LongHorn, and raised its full‑year sales outlook, a clear positive for growth expectations. PR Newswire: Q2 results & outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Strong analyst buy support — Multiple firms reiterated buy ratings and bullish price targets (Bank of America kept a Buy with a $261 target; BTIG reaffirmed Buy at $225; Stifel maintained bullish stance), supporting upside sentiment. TipRanks: BofA reiterates Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend and cash returns remain attractive — Darden declared a $1.50 quarterly dividend (roughly a 3% yield), which supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. Seeking Alpha: Dividend declared
• Neutral Sentiment: FY26 EPS guidance roughly in line — Darden set FY2026 EPS guidance at $10.50–$10.70, close to consensus, which reduces uncertainty but doesn’t materially change the valuation picture. MarketBeat: Guidance and call
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views on valuation — Some firms reiterate Hold/Equal‑Weight ratings citing full valuation despite solid execution, suggesting limited near‑term upside for investors who focus on valuation. TickerReport: Stephens equal weight
• Negative Sentiment: Slight EPS miss pressured the stock — Reported EPS was $2.08 vs. the $2.09 consensus (a $0.01 miss), which, despite being tiny, triggered downside given elevated expectations and the stock’s recent run. Benzinga: What’s going on with DRI stock?
• Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure from commodity costs — Beef and other commodity inflation compressed margins (especially at LongHorn); management expects easing but cost pressure remains a near‑term risk to profitability. Seeking Alpha: Margin pressure analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual put buying and insider selling — Elevated put option activity and notable insider share sales were reported, which can add short‑term downside pressure or signal caution among some market participants. QuiverQuant: Options & insider activity

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total value of $1,094,837.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. The trade was a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on DRI shares. Evercore ISI reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Argus reduced their target price on Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.39.

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.