Cwm LLC Has $2.78 Million Stock Position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• Cwm LLC significantly increased its holdings in Darden Restaurants, now owning approximately $2.78 million worth of the stock after an 88.4% increase in shares during the second quarter.
• Insider transactions revealed notable stock sales, including Laura B. Williamson selling 1,157 shares and Matthew R. Broad selling 5,661 shares, indicating a decrease in insider ownership.
• Darden Restaurants reported a quarterly earnings miss with earnings per share of $1.97, falling short of the consensus estimate of $2.01, despite revenue exceeding expectations.

Cwm LLC grew its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 88.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,732 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 5,973 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC's holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $2,775,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 108.8% in the 1st quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Centennial Bank AR acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Rise Advisors LLC grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 32.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.70, for a total value of $236,837.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,176,370.40. The trade was a 9.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total value of $1,094,837.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. This represents a 28.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 7,674 shares of company stock worth $1,507,575. Insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $188.16 on Friday. The business's 50 day moving average is $199.61 and its 200 day moving average is $204.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12-month low of $157.89 and a 12-month high of $228.27. The stock has a market cap of $21.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.17, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.77.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.04). Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The business had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.75 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Friday, June 20th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is currently 64.31%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DRI has been the subject of several research reports. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $252.00 to $240.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. BTIG Research cut their target price on Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Darden Restaurants from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Nineteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $225.59.

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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