Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Stock Holdings Decreased by First Business Financial Services Inc.

Key Points

• First Business Financial Services Inc. reduced its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 11.7%, owning 10,662 shares valued at approximately $2.32 million after the sale.
• Darden Restaurants reported $1.97 EPS in its recent earnings, missing the consensus estimate by $0.04, despite a revenue increase of 10.4% from the previous year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50, representing an annual yield of 3.2%, with a payout ratio of 64.31%.

First Business Financial Services Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 11.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,662 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 1,408 shares during the quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc.'s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $2,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in DRI. Bowman & Co S.C. grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 0.5% during the second quarter. Bowman & Co S.C. now owns 9,631 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,099,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 32.2% during the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 2.5% in the second quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,975 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $430,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 15.8% during the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 381 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Darden Restaurants by 3.2% during the second quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $365,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $186.46 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1-year low of $157.89 and a 1-year high of $228.27. The business's 50 day moving average is $198.19 and its 200-day moving average is $204.62.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 EPS 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 firm had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.75 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid 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%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.70, for a total transaction of $236,837.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,176,370.40. This trade represents a 9.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total transaction of $1,094,837.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. The trade was a 28.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 7,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,438,707 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on DRI. Argus reduced their price target on Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Darden Restaurants to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on Darden Restaurants from $255.00 to $230.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Bank of America upped their target price on Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Finally, Melius assumed coverage on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Monday, July 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $240.00 target price on the stock. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.15.

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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