Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. Grows Position in Darden Restaurants, Inc. $DRI

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) by 0.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 377,582 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 415 shares during the quarter. Darden Restaurants comprises approximately 3.9% of Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.’s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $82,302,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Darden Restaurants by 419.2% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 135 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. SouthState Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Rise Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Darden Restaurants by 32.2% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 201 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. purchased a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 1st quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 93.64% of the company’s stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of DRI stock opened at $173.83 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $188.90 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $202.59. The stock has a market cap of $20.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 0.74. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a 12 month low of $159.40 and a 12 month high of $228.27. 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 (NYSE:DRI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.97 EPS 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.03 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 52.35% and a net margin of 8.90%.The company’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. On average, research analysts expect that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 10th. Darden Restaurants’s payout ratio is presently 64.31%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Matthew R. Broad sold 5,661 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $193.40, for a total value of $1,094,837.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 13,916 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,691,354.40. This represents a 28.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on DRI. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Darden Restaurants from $240.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Darden Restaurants in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $255.00 to $230.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 19th. Argus dropped their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $260.00 to $220.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $215.00 to $205.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Twenty research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.