SG Americas Securities LLC Buys 30,095 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 43.6% in the first quarter, buying 30,095 additional shares to bring its holdings to 99,072 shares valued at about $19.4 million.
• Darden’s latest quarter showed solid operating performance, with EPS of $3.66 beating estimates and revenue rising 13.7% year over year to $3.72 billion, though revenue slightly missed consensus.
• The company increased its quarterly dividend to $1.62 per share and authorized a new $1.5 billion share repurchase program, even as its fiscal 2027 EPS guidance came in below expectations.

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 43.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 99,072 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 30,095 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Darden Restaurants worth $19,422,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 926.7% during the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 154 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Union Savings Bank acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on DRI. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 13th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a report on Monday. Finally, Oppenheimer reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Thursday, June 18th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 3,620 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.16, for a total value of $731,819.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,391.84. The trade was a 92.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Lindsay L. Koren sold 300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total value of $58,296.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,617 shares in the company, valued at approximately $314,215.44. The trade was a 15.65% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Darden Restaurants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Darden posted adjusted EPS of $3.66, topping estimates, while quarterly revenue rose 13.7% year over year, showing the business is still growing. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: The company increased its quarterly dividend and authorized a new $1.5 billion share repurchase program, both of which support shareholder returns. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Operationally, same-restaurant sales beat expectations overall, with LongHorn Steakhouse helping drive the quarter and margins remaining strong. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Darden said it modernized its bylaws to enhance shareholder participation, a governance update that is unlikely to materially move near-term earnings. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates and Olive Garden’s growth looked softer than expected, raising concern that traffic and comparable sales momentum may be slowing. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of $11.10 to $11.35 came in below consensus, suggesting margin or cost pressure could limit upside next year. Article Title

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 0.4%

Darden Restaurants stock opened at $212.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.39. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $222.56. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $201.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $200.89. The firm has a market cap of $24.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.51, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.60.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.63 by $0.03. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.66% and a return on equity of 53.54%. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.98 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 10.62 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 10th will be given a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. This is an increase from Darden Restaurants's previous quarterly dividend of $1.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 10th. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is currently 63.49%.

Darden Restaurants 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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