Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Given Equal Weight Rating at Stephens

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "equal weight" rating reiterated by stock analysts at Stephens in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $200.00 price objective on the restaurant operator's stock. Stephens' price objective would indicate a potential downside of 10.21% from the stock's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wedbush lifted their price target on Darden Restaurants from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $213.35.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Darden Restaurants stock opened at $222.75 on Friday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $207.70 and its 200-day moving average is $195.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.07 billion, a PE ratio of 25.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.75. Darden Restaurants has a 12-month low of $135.87 and a 12-month high of $233.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The restaurant operator reported $2.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.06. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.96% and a return on equity of 50.68%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.65 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, CEO Ricardo Cardenas sold 20,518 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.19, for a total value of $4,271,642.42. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 58,836 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,249,066.84. This trade represents a 25.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP John W. Madonna sold 1,806 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.88, for a total value of $375,431.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,192 shares in the company, valued at $1,495,072.96. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 24,613 shares of company stock worth $5,121,492. Insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Darden Restaurants

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DRI. First Hawaiian Bank grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 9,006 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,871,000 after buying an additional 138 shares during the period. Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the first quarter worth about $18,906,000. Jacobi Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 10,138 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,106,000 after purchasing an additional 514 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 27,196 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $5,650,000 after purchasing an additional 3,218 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 22,444 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $4,663,000 after buying an additional 592 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

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