Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI) Price Target Raised to $230.00 at Barclays

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by stock analysts at Barclays from $206.00 to $230.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Barclays's price target suggests a potential upside of 24.59% from the company's current price.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on DRI. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Darden Restaurants from $180.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Darden Restaurants from $165.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 20th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Darden Restaurants from $195.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Darden Restaurants from $165.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Darden Restaurants in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $183.00 price objective for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and sixteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $189.12.

Darden Restaurants Price Performance

Shares of DRI stock traded up $0.64 on Tuesday, hitting $184.60. 1,145,571 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,204,568. The stock has a market cap of $21.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.35 and a quick ratio of 0.22. Darden Restaurants has a 12 month low of $135.87 and a 12 month high of $189.18. The company has a 50 day moving average of $172.30 and a 200 day moving average of $160.19.

Darden Restaurants (NYSE:DRI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 19th. The restaurant operator reported $2.03 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $2.03. The company had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.87 billion. Darden Restaurants had a return on equity of 49.46% and a net margin of 9.11%. Darden Restaurants's revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Darden Restaurants will post 9.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Darden Restaurants

In other news, CFO Rajesh Vennam sold 7,228 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $181.71, for a total value of $1,313,399.88. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 10,262 shares in the company, valued at $1,864,708.02. The trade was a 41.33 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.58% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the second quarter worth $27,000. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC increased its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 1,690.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wolff Wiese Magana LLC now owns 197 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Darden Restaurants in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Bangor Savings Bank lifted its holdings in Darden Restaurants by 395.0% during the third quarter. Bangor Savings Bank now owns 297 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Truvestments Capital LLC bought a new position in Darden Restaurants during the third quarter worth about $72,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.64% of the company's stock.

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.