SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 14,664 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 72.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,458 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 14,664 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $1,039,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.12, for a total transaction of $1,471,173.36. Following the sale, the insider owned 44,252 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,165,474.24. This trade represents a 13.83% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,635 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total transaction of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 4,098 shares in the company, valued at $849,761.28. This trade represents a 39.14% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

NYSE DRI opened at $214.96 on Monday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.00 and a 1-year high of $228.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.53, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $185.35 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.39.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last released its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.03 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter 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, equities analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is currently 62.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DRI. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.