Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Given New $210.00 Price Target at Stephens

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) had its target price increased by Stephens from $205.00 to $210.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Truist Financial reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $207.00 target price (down from $240.00) on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $210.00 to $200.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $205.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $226.24.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Shares of DRI stock opened at $202.99 on Friday. Darden Restaurants has a fifty-two week low of $169.00 and a fifty-two week high of $228.27. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $208.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 0.39 and a quick ratio of 0.26. The firm has a market cap of $23.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.61.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $3.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.33 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 53.54% and a net margin of 8.66%.The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.80 EPS. Analysts predict that Darden Restaurants will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 10th. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 63.49%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Darden Restaurants news, insider John W. Wilkerson sold 2,258 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total value of $480,954.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 17,784 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,787,992. The trade was a 11.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Susan M. Connelly sold 2,635 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total value of $546,393.60. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 4,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $849,761.28. This represents a 39.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 18,770 shares of company stock worth $3,948,970 in the last 90 days. 0.49% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DRI. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. raised its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 926.7% during the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 154 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Savings Bank acquired a new position in shares of Darden Restaurants during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Darden Restaurants

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results and guidance lift — Darden reported $2.95 EPS (in line/just above consensus), revenue of $3.35B (+5.9% YoY) and raised its full‑year outlook for sales and adjusted EPS, citing strength at LongHorn and unit growth. Management’s guidance lift is the primary catalyst for optimism. PR Newswire: Q3 Results & Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lift targets and ratings — A wave of firms raised targets (Citigroup to $238, Deutsche Bank to $230, Barclays to $232, KeyCorp, BTIG, others), with several reaffirming Buy/Overweight ratings. That collective upward revision signals stronger Street momentum behind the stock. Benzinga: Analysts Increase Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend declared & capital returns — Darden announced a quarterly dividend (covers April record / May pay date) and continues significant buybacks; MarketBeat highlights strong cash flow and share‑count reduction as supportive of future returns. That makes the stock more attractive to income and valuation‑focused investors. MarketBeat: Growth & Cash Flow
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call / transcripts available — Management held the Q3 call and released transcripts/slides (useful for digging into LFLs, unit‑economics, weather impacts and cadence of buybacks). Investors should review the call for color on margins and FY26 assumptions. MSN: Q3 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: One‑time charges and brand exit — Darden took impairments and other one‑offs tied to the Bahama Breeze review and planned closures/conversions; GAAP results look weaker as a result. These items compress near‑term margins and add uncertainty around restructuring costs. MarketBeat: One‑offs & Impairments
• Negative Sentiment: Risks flagged by some commentary — A few writeups note building risks (weather, commodity/labor pressure, and noise from restructuring) that could press margins even as revenue growth remains healthy. Seeking Alpha: Risks Building

About Darden Restaurants

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.