Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Purchases 4,753 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 126,295 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 4,753 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $24,042,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the second quarter worth $29,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 419.2% during the second quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 135 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at $44,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 6,774 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $214.12, for a total transaction of $1,450,448.88. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 9,040 shares in the company, valued at $1,935,644.80. This trade represents a 42.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 stock was sold at an average price of $207.36, for a total value of $546,393.60. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 4,098 shares in the company, valued at $849,761.28. This represents a 39.14% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 18,770 shares of company stock valued at $3,948,970 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently issued reports on DRI shares. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Darden Restaurants from $238.00 to $236.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th. Melius Research raised shares of Darden Restaurants from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. 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. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Twenty equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $224.78.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

DRI opened at $199.36 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12-month low of $169.00 and a 12-month high of $228.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $190.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $193.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.64.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The restaurant operator reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.10 by ($0.02). Darden Restaurants had a net margin of 8.92% and a return on equity of 52.44%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, January 9th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.89%.

Darden Restaurants Profile

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.