Pacer Advisors Inc. Has $5.72 Million Holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)

Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 342.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 34,808 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 26,945 shares during the quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $5,719,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 3.0% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 2,274 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $326,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Wambolt & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 3.7% in the third quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC now owns 1,871 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 0.5% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 13,705 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,963,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its position in Darden Restaurants by 1.0% in the third quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 6,997 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,002,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. lifted its position in Darden Restaurants by 2.7% in the third quarter. Financial Engines Advisors L.L.C. now owns 3,008 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.1 %

Darden Restaurants stock traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $167.15. The company had a trading volume of 975,000 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,388,895. The stock has a market cap of $19.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.60, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.26. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1 year low of $133.36 and a 1 year high of $176.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The business has a fifty day moving average of $167.41 and a 200 day moving average of $157.51.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 21st. The restaurant operator reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $2.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.02 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 49.94% and a net margin of 9.24%. The business's revenue was up 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 8.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 9th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.13%. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 61.43%.

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In other news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 6,831 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.26, for a total transaction of $1,115,229.06. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,141 shares in the company, valued at $3,124,959.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Melvin John Martin sold 7,673 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.52, for a total transaction of $1,270,034.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 17,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,848,268.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 6,831 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.26, for a total value of $1,115,229.06. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 19,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,124,959.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,340 shares of company stock worth $3,013,601. Insiders own 0.85% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $192.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $193.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $185.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. TD Cowen reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $190.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, Oppenheimer decreased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.85.

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.