Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Shares Acquired by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 3.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 169,064 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 5,230 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned 0.15% of Darden Restaurants worth $32,672,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Nicholas Investment Partners LP acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter worth about $923,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,313,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in Darden Restaurants by 34.9% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 26,408 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,440,000 after purchasing an additional 6,830 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at about $5,754,000. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at about $661,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of NYSE DRI opened at $229.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $25.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.65. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $211.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $206.36. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $169.00 and a fifty-two week high of $233.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 24th. The restaurant operator reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.05. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.85% and a return on equity of 58.64%. The firm had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.21 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.97 EPS. Darden Restaurants's quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 11.24 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th were paid a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is currently 63.34%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DRI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Wednesday, September 16th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $240.00 target price for the company. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $236.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Sixteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $232.82.

Darden Restaurants Profile

Darden Restaurants, Inc is a full-service restaurant company that owns and operates dining brands serving a range of cuisines and occasions. Its portfolio includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V's and Ruth's Chris Steak House.

The company traces its roots to 1938, when founder Bill Darden opened a restaurant in Georgia. It later established the Red Lobster chain, which it operated for decades before selling the brand in 2014.

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