Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Stock Acquired by Alps Advisors Inc.

Key Points

• Alps Advisors increased its Darden stake by 4% in the third quarter, adding 5,266 shares to hold 136,067 shares valued at approximately $26.3 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.64% of the company.
• Darden reported quarterly EPS of $2.05, matching estimates, while revenue of $3.20 billion was slightly below forecasts and rose 5.1% year over year. The company’s FY 2027 EPS guidance is $11.10–$11.35.
• Analysts give Darden a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $232.82. The company’s quarterly dividend equates to $6.48 annually, a yield of about 2.9%.

Alps Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 4.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 136,067 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 5,266 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.12% of Darden Restaurants worth $26,295,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC raised its stake in Darden Restaurants by 25.4% during the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 1,326 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Heritage Family Offices LLP purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the third quarter worth $167,000. Calamos Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 2.1% in the third quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 50,774 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $9,812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,027 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 14.1% during the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 10,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,072,000 after buying an additional 1,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 32,369 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $6,255,000 after buying an additional 913 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:DRI opened at $225.54 on Friday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.00 and a 12 month high of $233.98. The firm has a market cap of $25.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 0.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company's 50 day moving average is $211.19 and its 200-day moving average is $206.25.

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

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 9th were given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 9th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is presently 63.34%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

DRI has been the subject of several recent research reports. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, September 25th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 25th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, September 11th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of Darden Restaurants from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $220.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $232.82.

About Darden Restaurants

Darden Restaurants, Inc is a full-service restaurant company that owns and operates a portfolio of dining brands in the United States. Its restaurants offer a range of cuisines and dining formats, including Italian-American, steakhouse, seafood, casual dining and polished casual concepts.

The company's portfolio includes Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, Ruth's Chris Steak House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V's. These brands serve meals prepared for on-premises dining, as well as takeout and other off-premises occasions.

Darden traces its history to 1968, when founder William “Bill” Darden opened the first Red Lobster restaurant in Lakeland, Florida.

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