Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Price Target Raised to $236.00 at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $230.00 to $236.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft’s target price points to a potential upside of 12.15% from the stock’s previous close.

DRI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings lowered Darden Restaurants from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $227.00 to $232.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $208.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, June 15th. Finally, Evercore downgraded shares of Darden Restaurants from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and set a $230.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. Seventeen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Darden Restaurants has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $227.92.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:DRI traded down $2.32 during trading on Friday, hitting $210.44. 712,063 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,376,117. Darden Restaurants has a 1-year low of $169.00 and a 1-year high of $222.56. The company has a market capitalization of $24.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The business’s 50 day moving average is $201.60 and its 200-day moving average is $200.89.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 25th. The restaurant operator reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.63 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.73 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 53.54% and a net margin of 8.66%.Darden Restaurants’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.98 EPS. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2027 guidance at 11.100-11.350 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Darden Restaurants will post 10.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Douglas J. Milanes sold 3,620 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $202.16, for a total transaction of $731,819.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 274 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $55,391.84. This trade represents a 92.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Lindsay L. Koren sold 300 shares of Darden Restaurants stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.32, for a total transaction of $58,296.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,617 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $314,215.44. This represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. boosted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 926.7% in the fourth quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 154 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Union Savings Bank acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Darden beat quarterly EPS estimates with adjusted earnings of $3.66 per share, helped by stronger performance at LongHorn Steakhouse and solid margin improvement. Darden Restaurants (DRI) Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its quarterly dividend by 8% to $1.62 per share and authorized a new $1.5 billion share repurchase program, reinforcing management confidence and supporting shareholder returns. Darden Restaurants Reports Fiscal 2026 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts lifted price targets after the results, including BTIG to $235, suggesting some upside remains despite the mixed print. Darden Analysts Boost Their Forecasts After Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler, Robert W. Baird, and Stephens also raised targets, but kept neutral/equal-weight style ratings, signaling improved valuation views rather than a strongly bullish shift. Analyst price target updates
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue missed estimates at $3.72 billion, and same-store sales growth at some brands, including Olive Garden, underwhelmed, which is weighing on sentiment. Darden Restaurants earnings beat estimates but Olive Garden growth weakens
• Negative Sentiment: FY2027 EPS guidance of $11.10 to $11.35 came in below consensus, making the outlook appear more conservative than the quarter itself. Darden Restaurants Reports Fiscal 2026 Fourth Quarter and Full Year Results

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.