Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $6.09 Million Holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management increased its Darden Restaurants stake by 18.1% in the first quarter, holding 31,076 shares valued at about $6.09 million.
• Darden recently reported better-than-expected quarterly EPS of $3.66 and posted 13.7% revenue growth, while also raising its quarterly dividend to $1.62 per share from $1.50.
• Analysts remain broadly positive: several firms raised price targets, and the stock carries a Moderate Buy consensus with a $228.32 average price target.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 18.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,076 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 4,757 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $6,092,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 926.7% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 154 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Union Savings Bank bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In other news, 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 in the company, valued at $55,391.84. This represents a 92.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Lindsay L. Koren sold 300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $58,296.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,617 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $314,215.44. This represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

DRI stock opened at $213.79 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.31. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $201.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $201.13. The company has a market capitalization of $24.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.60. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $222.56.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.03. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 57.44% and a net margin of 9.13%.The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.98 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. Research analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 11.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Investors 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 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. This is an increase from Darden Restaurants's previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is currently 57.80%.

Darden Restaurants News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Darden to $240 from $230 and reiterated a buy rating, signaling confidence in additional upside after the quarter. UBS price target increase on Darden Restaurants
• Positive Sentiment: Deutsche Bank lifted its target to $236 from $230 and kept a buy rating, citing room for continued gains. Deutsche Bank price target increase on Darden Restaurants
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG, Stephens, Piper Sandler, Robert W. Baird and others also raised targets after reviewing the quarter, which reinforces the market’s view that Darden’s brand strength and long-term earnings power remain intact. Analysts boost forecasts after Darden Q4 results
• Positive Sentiment: The company beat fiscal Q4 EPS estimates, reported 13.7% year-over-year revenue growth, raised its quarterly dividend 8%, and authorized a new $1.5 billion share repurchase program, all of which are supportive for shareholder returns. Darden fiscal 2026 results and capital return actions
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s fiscal 2027 guidance was slightly below Wall Street’s EPS expectations and revenue came in just under forecasts, which tempers the post-earnings enthusiasm. Darden earnings coverage from CNBC
• Negative Sentiment: Some reports noted that Olive Garden and other comparable sales trends were mixed, suggesting that not all brands are accelerating evenly despite LongHorn Steakhouse’s strength. Mixed Q4 results and brand performance for Darden

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DRI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens boosted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $216.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Oppenheimer reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, June 18th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. 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 company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $228.32.

Darden Restaurants 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.

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