Piper Sandler Raises Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Price Target to $212.00

Key Points

• Piper Sandler raised its price target on Darden Restaurants to $212 from $208 while keeping a neutral rating. The new target implies only a slight upside from the stock’s prior close.
• Other analysts remain mostly constructive on the stock, with multiple firms recently lifting price targets and the broader consensus sitting at a Moderate Buy with an average target of $227.68.
• Darden’s latest earnings beat expectations, with Q4 EPS of $3.66 versus $3.63 expected and revenue up 13.7% year over year. The company also reported strong profitability and provided fiscal 2027 EPS guidance of 11.10 to 11.35.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Piper Sandler from $208.00 to $212.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Piper Sandler's price objective indicates a potential upside of 0.43% from the stock's previous close.

DRI has been the topic of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Darden Restaurants from $226.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $272.00 to $276.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $227.68.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Darden Restaurants stock opened at $211.09 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $201.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $200.89. Darden Restaurants has a 52-week low of $169.00 and a 52-week high of $222.56.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 earnings per share (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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.73 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.98 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants's quarterly revenue was up 13.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants will post 10.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Lindsay L. Koren sold 300 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 1,617 shares in the company, valued at $314,215.44. This trade represents a 15.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 3,620 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $202.16, for a total transaction of $731,819.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 274 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,391.84. The trade was a 92.96% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DRI. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 926.7% in the 4th quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 154 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Union Savings Bank bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in Darden Restaurants during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 93.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: BTIG Research raised its price target on Darden to $235 from $225 and reiterated a buy rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels. BTIG Research Raises Price Target on Darden Restaurants
• Positive Sentiment: Guggenheim also lifted its target to $235 from $230 with a buy rating, while Robert W. Baird and Stephens raised their targets to $220 and $216, respectively, reinforcing a broadly constructive analyst view. Multiple Analyst Target Raises for Darden Restaurants
• Positive Sentiment: Darden reported fiscal Q4 EPS of $3.66, topping estimates, with revenue up 13.7% year over year and brand strength led by LongHorn Steakhouse and steady demand across the portfolio. Darden Restaurants Q4 and Full-Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company boosted its quarterly dividend 8% to $1.62 per share and authorized a new $1.5 billion share repurchase program, signaling confidence in cash generation and shareholder returns. Dividend Increase and Buyback Authorization

Darden Restaurants Company 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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