Rep. Lisa C. McClain Buys Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) Shares

Key Points

• Representative Lisa C. McClain purchased shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) for an amount between $1,001 and $15,000, as disclosed in a filing on August 13th.
• Darden Restaurants reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $2.98, surpassing analyst expectations, with revenue also increasing by 10.6% year-over-year.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $1.50 per share, up from $1.40, with a current annualized dividend yield of 2.9%.

Representative Lisa C. McClain (R-Michigan) recently bought shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. NYSE: DRI. In a filing disclosed on August 13th, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Darden Restaurants stock on July 16th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "CHARLES SCHWAB BROKERAGE ACCOUNT 924" account.

Representative Lisa C. McClain also recently made the following trade(s):

• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Autoliv NYSE: ALV on 8/4/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com NASDAQ: AMZN on 8/4/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Applied Materials NASDAQ: AMAT on 8/4/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. NYSE: AJG on 8/4/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of SAP NYSE: SAP on 7/22/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of XPO NYSE: XPO on 7/22/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Lithia Motors NYSE: LAD on 7/22/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Sanofi NASDAQ: SNY on 7/22/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Waters NYSE: WAT on 7/22/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Group 1 Automotive NYSE: GPI on 7/22/2025.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of DRI stock traded up $1.42 during trading on Friday, reaching $207.48. 1,337,672 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,332,839. The company has a market capitalization of $24.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.36, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The firm's 50-day moving average is $212.36 and its 200 day moving average is $204.00. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1 year low of $143.08 and a 1 year high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The restaurant operator reported $2.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.25 billion. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.69% and a return on equity of 51.81%. Darden Restaurants's revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.65 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, July 10th were paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 10th. This is an increase from Darden Restaurants's previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio is currently 67.57%.

Darden Restaurants announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Friday, June 20th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the restaurant operator to purchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In related news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 733 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.50, for a total transaction of $160,160.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 14,367 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,139,189.50. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 523 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.65, for a total transaction of $107,031.95. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 5,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,109,816.95. This trade represents a 8.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 45,727 shares of company stock valued at $10,022,232 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on DRI shares. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $218.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $218.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 25th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Darden Restaurants from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $225.19.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the second quarter worth about $26,000. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 171.4% during the first quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 133 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 419.2% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 135 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 108.8% during the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

About Representative McClain

Lisa McClain (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. House, representing Michigan's 9th Congressional District. She assumed office on January 3, 2023. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027. McClain (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan's 9th Congressional District. She declared candidacy for the 2026 election. Lisa McClain lives in Romeo, Michigan. McClain earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northwood University. Her career experience includes founding and working as the president of North End Support Team.

About Darden Restaurants

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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