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

Key Points

• Representative Lisa C. McClain purchased shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) valued between $1,001 and $15,000 on September 25th, as revealed in a recent filing.
• Darden Restaurants reported earnings of $1.97 per share for the quarter ending September 18th, missing expectations by $0.04, though revenue increased by 10.4% year-over-year.
• The company declared a dividend of $1.50 per share to be paid on November 3rd, representing a 3.2% yield with a payout ratio of 64.31%.

Representative Lisa C. McClain (R-Michigan) recently bought shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. NYSE: DRI. In a filing disclosed on October 22nd, the Representative disclosed that they had bought between $1,001 and $15,000 in Darden Restaurants stock on September 25th. The trade occurred in the Representative's "CHARLES SCHWAB BROKERAGE ACCOUNT 924" account.

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

• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of FMC NYSE: FMC on 9/25/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Merit Medical Systems NASDAQ: MMSI on 9/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of ASML NASDAQ: ASML on 9/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Kenvue NYSE: KVUE on 9/25/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Beacon Financial NYSE: BBT on 9/25/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of British American Tobacco NYSE: BTI on 9/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Rollins NYSE: ROL on 9/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of SAP NYSE: SAP on 9/25/2025.
• Purchased $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of MGP Ingredients NASDAQ: MGPI on 9/25/2025.
• Sold $1,001 - $15,000 in shares of Amazon.com NASDAQ: AMZN on 9/25/2025.

Darden Restaurants Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE:DRI opened at $186.46 on Friday. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1 year low of $157.89 and a 1 year high of $228.27. The stock has a market cap of $21.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.99, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a fifty day moving average of $198.19 and a 200-day moving average of $204.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a current ratio of 0.40.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.75 EPS. The company'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 predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio is presently 64.31%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 31.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,230 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,164,000 after purchasing an additional 3,677 shares during the period. Choreo LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 46.0% in the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 16,248 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 5,119 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 162,340 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $33,728,000 after purchasing an additional 7,902 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 924 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $192,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 124.2% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,471 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $929,000 after purchasing an additional 2,477 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.64% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $204.70, for a total value of $236,837.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 10,632 shares in the company, valued at $2,176,370.40. This trade represents a 9.81% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total value of $1,094,837.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,691,354.40. The trade was a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 7,341 shares of company stock valued at $1,438,707 in the last quarter. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on DRI shares. Raymond James Financial decreased their price target on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $210.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Wall Street Zen cut Darden Restaurants from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $235.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Melius Research raised Darden Restaurants to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $227.15.

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.

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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