Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Holdings Increased by Hamlin Capital Management LLC

Hamlin Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 918,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,989 shares during the quarter. Darden Restaurants accounts for approximately 4.6% of Hamlin Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Hamlin Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.78% of Darden Restaurants worth $200,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Darden Restaurants by 108.8% in the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Centennial Bank AR purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter worth about $34,000. SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC raised its position in Darden Restaurants by 32.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $188.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $199.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $204.91. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $157.89 and a one year high of $228.27. 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 (NYSE:DRI) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The business’s revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.75 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Friday, June 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the restaurant operator to purchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 64.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total transaction of $1,094,837.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. This trade represents a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 approximately $2,176,370.40. This represents a 9.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,674 shares of company stock worth $1,507,575. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on DRI. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $252.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Raymond James Financial reduced their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.59.

Darden Restaurants Company 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.