U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC Takes $2.80 Million Position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Key Points

• U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. worth approximately $2.80 million, acquiring 12,858 shares during the second quarter.
• The company has issued a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.2% with the payout ratio at 64.31%.
• Darden Restaurants has set an FY 2026 guidance of 10.500-10.700 EPS and missed its recent earnings estimate of $2.01 per share, reporting $1.97 instead.

U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 12,858 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $2,803,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of DRI. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 3,622 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $676,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC raised its stake in Darden Restaurants by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,511 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $469,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at $843,000. Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth $269,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 70.3% during the fourth quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 264,548 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $49,388,000 after buying an additional 109,212 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DRI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. BTIG Research decreased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Citigroup upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $253.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius Research upgraded Darden Restaurants to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Argus lowered their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $225.96.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In related news, 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 value of $107,031.95. Following the sale, the insider owned 5,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,109,816.95. The trade was a 8.80% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 733 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.50, for a total value of $160,160.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,367 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,139,189.50. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 23,264 shares of company stock valued at $5,024,790 over the last quarter. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

NYSE:DRI opened at $186.47 on Wednesday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52 week low of $155.18 and a 52 week high of $228.27. The stock's fifty day moving average is $205.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $206.03. The company has a market capitalization of $21.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.01 by ($0.04). Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $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. Equities analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The business 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 $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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.31%.

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

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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