SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

SS&H Financial Advisors Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 27.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,855 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,455 shares during the quarter. SS&H Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $840,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Darden Restaurants Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:DRI opened at $180.08 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $195.14 and its two-hundred day moving average is $204.26. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 1 year low of $157.89 and a 1 year high of $228.27.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations 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 earned $1.75 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.700 EPS. Analysts predict that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants’s dividend payout ratio is presently 64.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In related news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on DRI shares. BTIG Research cut their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $253.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $235.00 to $238.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 19th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Twenty investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $225.82.

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.