TD Private Client Wealth LLC Sells 235 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

TD Private Client Wealth LLC reduced its holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 11.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,794 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 235 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 31.8% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,164,000 after acquiring an additional 3,677 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC raised its stake in Darden Restaurants by 46.0% during the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 16,248 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 5,119 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 162,340 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,728,000 after purchasing an additional 7,902 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 924 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 124.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,471 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $929,000 after purchasing an additional 2,477 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $188.49 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $204.23 and its 200-day moving average is $205.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.40. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.18 and a 52 week high of $228.27. The company has a market capitalization of $21.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.71.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 52.35%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.75 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is presently 64.31%.

Darden Restaurants announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Friday, June 20th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on DRI shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, June 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. BTIG Research cut their target price on Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Melius Research raised shares of Darden Restaurants to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $225.96.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.70, for a total transaction of $236,837.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,632 shares in the company, valued at $2,176,370.40. This represents a 9.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 6,949 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.00, for a total transaction of $1,514,882.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 14,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,132,006. This represents a 32.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 23,264 shares of company stock valued at $5,024,790. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Darden Restaurants Profile

Darden Restaurants, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates full-service restaurants in the United States and Canada. It operates under Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Eddie V’s Prime Seafood, and Capital Burger brand names.