Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Shares Sold by Truist Financial Corp

Truist Financial Corp lessened its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 21.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 56,574 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 15,204 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $10,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants during the second quarter worth about $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 419.2% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 135 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the second quarter valued at about $44,000. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $199.35 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.64. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1-year low of $169.00 and a 1-year high of $228.27. The company’s fifty day moving average is $191.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $193.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.39.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.03 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS 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 paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.89%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on DRI shares. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised Darden Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.78.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In related news, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,635 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total transaction of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $849,761.28. This trade represents a 39.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.12, for a total value of $1,450,448.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,040 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,935,644.80. This represents a 42.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,770 shares of company stock worth $3,948,970. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.