Monument Capital Management Buys New Position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• Monument Capital Management acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants, purchasing 13,280 shares valued at approximately $2.895 million.
• Insider trading revealed that SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares at $193.40 each, resulting in a significant decrease of 28.92% in his ownership.
• Darden Restaurants reported earnings of $1.97 per share, missing estimates and setting FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS, while also authorizing a $1 billion stock repurchase program.

Monument Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 13,280 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $2,895,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 171.4% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 133 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 108.8% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Centennial Bank AR bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, SouthState Corp bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In related news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. The trade was a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 523 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.65, for a total transaction of $107,031.95. Following the completion of the sale, the insider 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 7,674 shares of company stock worth $1,507,575 in the last 90 days. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on DRI. TD Securities reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Friday, June 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Nineteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $225.59.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

DRI stock opened at $186.63 on Friday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $155.18 and a one year high of $228.27. The company's fifty day moving average price is $201.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.40. The company has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a PE ratio of 20.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.77.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last released 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 company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.03 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.75 EPS. Darden Restaurants's quarterly 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Friday, June 20th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to reacquire up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th will be given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is currently 64.31%.

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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