BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Sells 57,178 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S cut its Darden Restaurants stake by 60.2% in the first quarter, selling 57,178 shares and leaving it with 37,801 shares worth about $7.41 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive: several firms raised price targets, with Citigroup increasing its target to $245 and Oppenheimer reiterating Outperform with a $235 target. Overall, Darden has a Moderate Buy consensus and an average target of $227.04.
• The company’s recent fundamentals have been solid, as Darden last reported EPS of $2.95 and revenue of $3.35 billion, both slightly ahead of estimates. However, some insiders and at least one analyst remain cautious, with Stephens maintaining an Equal Weight rating and a $210 target.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lowered its holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 60.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,801 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 57,178 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $7,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,190 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $403,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 1,144 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 15,983 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,941,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 0.4% during the third quarter. Stonebrook Private Inc. now owns 13,425 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,556,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenview Trust co grew its stake in Darden Restaurants by 4.9% in the second quarter. Glenview Trust co now owns 1,308 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer reaffirmed an Outperform rating and raised its price target to $235, suggesting meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street expects earnings growth in Darden’s upcoming quarterly report, and Zacks said the company appears positioned for a potential earnings beat, which can support the stock ahead of results. Zacks
• Neutral Sentiment: MarketWatch noted Darden’s shares rose in Thursday trading, but the stock still lagged the broader market, indicating only modest momentum rather than a clear catalyst-driven move. MarketWatch
• Neutral Sentiment: Several recent analyst and preview articles highlight that investors are awaiting Darden’s fiscal Q4 results and are focused on operating metrics beyond revenue and EPS, but these pieces are more about positioning than a new fundamental development. The Globe and Mail
• Negative Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed an Equal Weight rating with a $210 target, implying limited downside/upside from current levels and reflecting a more cautious stance than bullish peers. Tickerreport.com

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on DRI. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating and issued a $225.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, March 20th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $222.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 3,620 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.16, for a total transaction of $731,819.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 274 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,391.84. The trade was a 92.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Lindsay L. Koren sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 1,617 shares in the company, valued at $314,215.44. This trade represents a 15.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

NYSE DRI opened at $213.58 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $24.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.60, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $200.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $199.88. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1 year low of $169.00 and a 1 year high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.95 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.33 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 53.54% and a net margin of 8.66%.The firm's revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.80 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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