Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC Sells 702 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 7,820 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 702 shares during the quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $1,704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of DRI. Centennial Bank AR bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter valued at $31,000. SouthState Corp bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Rise Advisors LLC grew its stake in Darden Restaurants by 32.2% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter valued at $45,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 1.4%

DRI stock opened at $177.59 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company’s 50 day moving average is $194.59 and its 200 day moving average is $204.15. The stock has a market cap of $20.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.77. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1-year low of $157.89 and a 1-year high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.75 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.31%.

Insider Transactions at Darden Restaurants

In related news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total transaction of $1,094,837.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares in the company, valued at $2,691,354.40. This trade represents a 28.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on DRI shares. Melius started coverage on Darden Restaurants in a research note on Monday, July 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $240.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $235.00 price target on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Raymond James Financial cut 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. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Darden Restaurants from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. Twenty analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.82.

Darden Restaurants 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.