World Investment Advisors Buys 2,859 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)

World Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 43,600 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 2,859 shares during the quarter. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $8,140,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Darden Restaurants Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE DRI traded up $2.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $191.10. The company had a trading volume of 467,698 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,278,348. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $196.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $180.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a one year low of $135.87 and a one year high of $211.00. The stock has a market cap of $22.39 billion, a PE ratio of 21.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.93.

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

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.40 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 10th. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. Darden Restaurants's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $180.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. TD Securities upped their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Darden Restaurants from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $180.00 to $215.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 22nd. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price target on Darden Restaurants from $218.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock 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 seventeen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $201.38.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In related news, insider Todd Burrowes sold 15,783 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.03, for a total transaction of $2,888,762.49. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 46,288 shares in the company, valued at $8,472,092.64. The trade was a 25.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 2,289 shares of Darden Restaurants 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 directly owns 10,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,084,206.56. The trade was a 18.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 61,047 shares of company stock worth $11,947,346 over the last quarter. 0.58% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.