Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Shares Acquired by J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG increased its position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 2.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 254,045 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 5,642 shares during the quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $49,803,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 111,515 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $21,861,000 after purchasing an additional 1,247 shares in the last quarter. SFE Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 12.9% in the 1st quarter. SFE Investment Counsel now owns 5,785 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,134,000 after buying an additional 660 shares in the last quarter. Midwest Trust Co boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Midwest Trust Co now owns 10,890 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,135,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 166.2% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 52,142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $10,222,000 after buying an additional 32,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 6,113.6% during the first quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,367 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 1,345 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 0.0%

Darden Restaurants stock opened at $204.21 on Monday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52 week low of $169.00 and a 52 week high of $220.65. The stock has a market cap of $23.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $202.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $202.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.73 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 9.13% and a return on equity of 57.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 11.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. This is a positive change from Darden Restaurants’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 10th. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 62.43%.

More Darden Restaurants News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its estimates for several future quarters, including Q1 2028, Q2 2028, Q3 2028, and FY2029, suggesting improving longer-term earnings power for Darden. DRI stock page
• Positive Sentiment: The latest commentary still implies solid profitability ahead, with FY2028 EPS projected at $12.17 and FY2029 EPS at $13.19, which supports the bullish case for the restaurant operator. DRI stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: The company recently reported quarterly earnings that slightly beat EPS expectations, while revenue was just below estimates; that results mix is not a major new catalyst but continues to show steady operating performance. DRI stock page
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed some near-term forecasts, including Q1 2027, Q2 2027, Q3 2027, Q4 2027, FY2027, FY2028 Q4, and Q4 2028 EPS, which could weigh on sentiment because it suggests some earnings pressure in the nearer horizon. DRI stock page
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by SVP Susan Connelly, who sold 9,930 shares, may also be a small headwind for investor sentiment, even though it does not change the company’s fundamentals. Article on insider sale

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 9,930 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $206.21, for a total value of $2,047,665.30. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 4,165 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $858,864.65. The trade was a 70.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 3,620 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.16, for a total value of $731,819.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $55,391.84. This trade represents a 92.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Bank of America upped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $272.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $229.32.

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.