Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Cuts Stock Holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors trimmed its stake in Darden by 3.7% in Q3, selling 46,635 shares and now holding 1,199,900 shares worth about $228.4 million (≈1.03% of the company).
• Darden posted Q3 EPS of $2.08 (missing consensus by $0.02) on $3.10 billion in revenue, up 7.3% year-over-year, and set FY2026 guidance of $10.50–$10.70 per share (analysts expect ~9.52 EPS).
• Wall Street sentiment is a Moderate Buy (20 Buys, 9 Holds) with an average price target of $224.89; the company pays a $6.00 annual dividend (2.9% yield) while insiders sold roughly 18,770 shares (~$3.95M) last quarter.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP reduced its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 3.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,199,900 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 46,635 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.03% of Darden Restaurants worth $228,435,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 23.5% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,695 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $44,000. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Darden Restaurants by 6.3% in the second quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 40,402 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $8,795,000 after purchasing an additional 2,408 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 14.5% during the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,058 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Savant Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 46.3% in the second quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 7,162 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,561,000 after purchasing an additional 2,265 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on DRI shares. KeyCorp reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Darden Restaurants from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Friday, December 19th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, December 19th. Twenty equities research 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 stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $224.89.

Darden Restaurants Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:DRI opened at $203.74 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $206.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $194.85. The stock has a market cap of $23.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $169.00 and a 12 month high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.10 by ($0.02). Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.44% and a net margin of 8.92%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.03 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th were given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 9th. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is currently 62.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Todd Burrowes sold 7,103 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.12, for a total transaction of $1,471,173.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 44,252 shares in the company, valued at $9,165,474.24. This trade represents a 13.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.12, for a total transaction of $1,450,448.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 9,040 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,935,644.80. The trade was a 42.84% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,770 shares of company stock worth $3,948,970. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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