Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) Insider Laura B. Williamson Sells 2,289 Shares

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) insider Laura B. Williamson sold 2,289 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.26, for a total value of $474,418.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 10,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,084,206.56. This represents a 18.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Darden Restaurants stock opened at $204.89 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $194.62 and a 200-day moving average of $178.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.47, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.27. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 52-week low of $135.87 and a 52-week high of $211.00. 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 (NYSE:DRI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 20th. The restaurant operator reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $2.80. Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 9.01% and a return on equity of 50.12%. The firm had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.22 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.60 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.40 per share. This represents a $5.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 10th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is 63.13%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on DRI. Barclays boosted their price target on Darden Restaurants from $230.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Raymond James raised their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $192.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $205.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Wedbush raised their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. MCF Advisors LLC grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 50.9% during the 4th quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 175 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HHM Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Darden Restaurants by 103.2% in the 4th quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 254 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.