Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Buys 5,497 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 16.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,011 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,497 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $7,426,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of DRI. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by 419.2% in the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 135 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the second quarter valued at about $44,000. Finally, Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 4,000.0% during the third quarter. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 246 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of NYSE DRI opened at $206.55 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $183.32 and its 200 day moving average is $194.53. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.00 and a 52 week high of $228.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $23.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.65, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.64.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.07 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.44% and a net margin of 8.92%.Darden Restaurants’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.03 EPS. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Argus decreased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $205.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.00.

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.