Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Has $1.32 Million Position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 523.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,937 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,825 shares during the period. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $1,321,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Midwest Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $2,441,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR lifted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 74.5% in the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 17,195 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,273,000 after buying an additional 7,342 shares in the last quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the third quarter valued at approximately $2,816,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 12.7% during the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 42,550 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,275,000 after acquiring an additional 4,804 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westpac Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of 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 owned by institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho upgraded DRI from Neutral to Outperform and raised its price target to $235 (from $195), citing Olive Garden strength and implying meaningful upside vs. the current price. Mizuho upgrades Darden Restaurants (DRI)
• Positive Sentiment: Melius Research moved its rating from Hold to Buy, adding to analyst bullishness that can support upward momentum in the stock. Melius Research upgrade (Finviz link)
• Positive Sentiment: Company fundamentals and shareholder returns remain supportive: FY2026 guidance was set at $10.50–$10.70 EPS and the firm announced a $1.50 quarterly dividend (annualized $6.00). Those items underpin earnings visibility and yield appeal for income-focused investors. MarketBeat Darden Restaurants coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Raymond James reiterated a Market Perform rating, signaling some analysts remain cautious and limiting consensus conviction despite upgrades. Raymond James Reiterates Market Perform for Darden
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation discussion: recent coverage (Yahoo Finance) highlights mixed share performance vs. fundamentals — investors are weighing the higher multiple against steady cash flow and brand strength. A Look At Darden Restaurants (DRI) Valuation
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director John Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares at roughly $213, reducing his stake ~11%. While insider sales can be routine, they can pressure sentiment if they repeat. John Wilkerson insider sale
• Negative Sentiment: Another insider, Rajesh Vennam, sold 6,774 shares — additional insider exits add to short-term headwinds for sentiment. Rajesh Vennam Sells DRI Shares

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,635 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total value of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $849,761.28. This trade represents a 39.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider John W. Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total transaction of $480,954.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,784 shares in the company, valued at $3,787,992. This represents a 11.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 18,770 shares of company stock worth $3,948,970. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DRI has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 15th. Raymond James Financial restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $224.78.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DRI opened at $205.93 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.39. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $188.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $194.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.71 billion, a PE ratio of 21.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.64. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.00 and a 52 week high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 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%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.03 EPS. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

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

Darden Restaurants 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.