AHL Investment Management Inc. Sells 3,019 Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)

AHL Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI - Free Report) by 54.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,500 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 3,019 shares during the quarter. AHL Investment Management Inc.'s holdings in Darden Restaurants were worth $467,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC grew its stake in Darden Restaurants by 1,690.9% in the third quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 197 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Bangor Savings Bank increased its position in Darden Restaurants by 395.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 297 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Darden Restaurants by 78.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 312 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Darden Restaurants in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $72,000. 93.64% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of Darden Restaurants from $194.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $195.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on Darden Restaurants from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and sixteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $189.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Darden Restaurants news, insider Todd Burrowes sold 15,783 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.03, for a total transaction of $2,888,762.49. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 46,288 shares in the company, valued at $8,472,092.64. This represents a 25.43 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 7,228 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $181.71, for a total transaction of $1,313,399.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 10,262 shares in the company, valued at $1,864,708.02. This represents a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 32,275 shares of company stock valued at $5,913,038 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Darden Restaurants Stock Performance

Darden Restaurants stock traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $181.58. The stock had a trading volume of 931,685 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,474,956. Darden Restaurants, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $135.87 and a fifty-two week high of $189.18. The company has a market cap of $21.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a 50-day moving average of $175.72 and a two-hundred day moving average of $162.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.03. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 50.12% and a net margin of 9.01%. The firm had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.87 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. Darden Restaurants's quarterly revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Darden Restaurants, Inc. will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Darden Restaurants Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, January 10th will be paid a $1.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 10th. This represents a $5.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.08%. Darden Restaurants's payout ratio is currently 64.15%.

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.