Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) Holdings Decreased by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lessened its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 31.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,813 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 1,276 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $525,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 50.9% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 175 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 103.2% in the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DRI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Darden Restaurants from $209.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James boosted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $238.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.38.

Darden Restaurants Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:DRI traded up $3.98 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $203.84. 820,206 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,278,967. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $197.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $184.62. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.87 and a fifty-two week high of $211.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.37 and a quick ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market cap of $23.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.93.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 20th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. The business had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.22 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 50.12% and a net margin of 9.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.60 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, April 10th were given a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 2,289 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.26, for a total transaction of $474,418.14. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 10,056 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,084,206.56. This represents a 18.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP John W. Madonna sold 1,806 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.88, for a total transaction of $375,431.28. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,495,072.96. This trade represents a 20.07 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 24,613 shares of company stock valued at $5,121,492 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

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.