Hager Investment Management Services LLC Acquires 1,467 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• Hager Investment Management Services LLC significantly increased its stake in Darden Restaurants by acquiring 1,467 shares, raising its holdings to 1,480 shares valued at approximately $323,000.
• Darden Restaurants reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, missing estimates, but had a revenue increase of 10.4% year-over-year, totaling $3.04 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, reflecting an annualized payout of $6.00 and a yield of 3.2%.

Hager Investment Management Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 11,284.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,480 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 1,467 shares during the period. Hager Investment Management Services LLC's holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $323,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bowman & Co S.C. lifted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 0.5% in the second quarter. Bowman & Co S.C. now owns 9,631 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,099,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Rise Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 2.5% during the 2nd 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 period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 15.8% during the 1st quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 381 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Fiduciary Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 3.2% during the 2nd quarter. Fiduciary Financial Group LLC now owns 1,663 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of Darden Restaurants stock opened at $188.00 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $202.10 and a 200 day moving average of $205.95. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $155.18 and a 12 month high of $228.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.04). Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.90% and a return on equity of 52.35%. The firm had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.75 earnings per share. The business's revenue 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.31%.

Darden Restaurants announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Friday, June 20th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the restaurant operator to buy up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on DRI. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Wednesday. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $253.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $208.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $225.59.

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In other Darden Restaurants news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,691,354.40. This trade represents a 28.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 523 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.65, for a total value of $107,031.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 5,423 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,816.95. This represents a 8.80% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,674 shares of company stock worth $1,507,575 in the last ninety days. 0.49% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Darden Restaurants 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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