USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 6,100 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)

USS Investment Management Ltd trimmed its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 15.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,119 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 6,100 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $6,181,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 50.9% in the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 175 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Darden Restaurants by 103.2% in the fourth quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Oppenheimer increased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $218.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $192.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. TD Securities increased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $201.38.

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In related news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 2,289 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.26, for a total value of $474,418.14. Following the sale, the insider now owns 10,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,084,206.56. This trade represents a 18.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP John W. Madonna sold 1,806 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.88, for a total transaction of $375,431.28. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,192 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,495,072.96. This represents a 20.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 24,613 shares of company stock worth $5,121,492. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 4.7%

Shares of DRI stock traded up $9.68 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $213.70. 1,127,137 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,316,945. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1 year low of $135.87 and a 1 year high of $213.90. The firm has a market cap of $25.01 billion, a PE ratio of 24.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.74. The company's 50 day moving average is $201.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 50.12%. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.60 EPS. Darden Restaurants's quarterly revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 10th were issued a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.62%. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

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.