Mizuho Initiates Coverage on Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI)

Analysts at Mizuho started coverage on shares of Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a “neutral” rating and a $190.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 4.23% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Truist Financial cut their target price on Darden Restaurants from $252.00 to $240.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Argus dropped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Darden Restaurants currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $225.82.

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE:DRI opened at $182.29 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $196.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $204.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Darden Restaurants has a one year low of $157.89 and a one year high of $228.27. The company has a market cap of $21.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.54, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.77.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total transaction of $1,094,837.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 13,916 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. This represents a 28.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Darden Restaurants

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DRI. Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 46.0% during the first quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 16,248 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,376,000 after purchasing an additional 5,119 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 5.1% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 162,340 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,728,000 after buying an additional 7,902 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 12.4% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 924 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $192,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Darden Restaurants during the first quarter worth $266,000. Finally, Foundry Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 93,293 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $19,383,000 after acquiring an additional 10,165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

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.