91,653 Shares in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Bought by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Key Points

• Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. acquired 91,653 shares of Darden Restaurants, valued at approximately $19.98 million, bringing their ownership to roughly 0.08% of the company.
• Darden Restaurants announced a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share with a yield of 3.1%, alongside a new share buyback program allowing repurchase of $1 billion worth of stock.
• Wall Street analysts generally hold a positive outlook on Darden, with nineteen analysts giving it a Buy rating and an average price target of $225.96 per share.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 91,653 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $19,978,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned about 0.08% of Darden Restaurants at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 171.4% in the 1st quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 133 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 108.8% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Centennial Bank AR purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the first quarter worth $31,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the first quarter worth $34,000. Finally, SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DRI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. BTIG Research dropped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Melius started coverage on Darden Restaurants in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They set a "hold" rating and a $240.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Nineteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $225.96.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $193.33 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a twelve month low of $155.18 and a twelve month high of $228.27. The company's 50 day moving average is $202.83 and its 200 day moving average is $206.17. The company has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.77.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.04). Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 52.35%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.75 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is 64.31%.

Darden Restaurants announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Friday, June 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to repurchase up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In related news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 523 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.65, for a total transaction of $107,031.95. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 5,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,109,816.95. This trade represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 2,013 shares of company stock valued at $412,738 in the last quarter. 0.49% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Darden Restaurants

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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