Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI Shares Sold by Running Oak Capital LLC

Running Oak Capital LLC lessened its stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 77,818 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 3,387 shares during the period. Darden Restaurants comprises approximately 1.9% of Running Oak Capital LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Running Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $16,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in DRI. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Darden Restaurants during the first quarter valued at $84,801,000. 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 1st quarter worth about $53,760,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,998,200 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $830,666,000 after acquiring an additional 247,542 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants by 3,824.2% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 177,217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,819,000 after purchasing an additional 172,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,601,340 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $748,215,000 after purchasing an additional 157,305 shares during the period. 93.64% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE DRI opened at $193.33 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $22.49 billion, a PE ratio of 20.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.18 and a 12-month high of $228.27. The company has a 50-day moving average of $202.83 and a 200 day moving average of $206.22.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last issued its earnings results 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). Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.75 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th will be issued a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is currently 64.31%.

Darden Restaurants declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Friday, June 20th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the restaurant operator to purchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

DRI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $255.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $245.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $239.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $225.96.

Insider Activity at Darden Restaurants

In other news, insider Laura B. Williamson sold 1,157 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $204.70, for a total transaction of $236,837.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,632 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,176,370.40. The trade was a 9.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,013 shares of company stock worth $412,738. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Darden Restaurants

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.